You've Really Got a Hold On Me
by musicboxfatima
Summary: Sure, Bryce Loski planted the sycamore tree. Who's to say that they lived happily ever after? The aftermath of Flipped...takes place when Juli and Bryce are about to begin their senior year in high school. Please read and review!
1. The Last Four Years

**Juli POV:**

_I can't believe Bryce Loski! The nerve. Who does he think he is? We practically don't acknowledge each other's existence the past few years and suddenly he wants to be my friend? Suddenly he wants everything to** change**? How does that make sense? I **hate** him. He **hates** me. I can't understand why this is happening. I really can't. Why couldn't he just leave things the way they were? _

Juli stormed inside her room, thoughts racing from what had just happened. She felt angry, confused, hurt, and anxious all at the same time. Bryce Loski, the boy she had mooned over for practically half of her life, the boy who had broken her heart, the boy she now hated with every cell in her body had spoken to her for the first time in years. She could clearly remember every moment of the conversation that had just occurred….

Juli had been outside, watering the grass in the front yard. It was Sunday, around noon, Juli's favorite time to fix up the yard. A trickle of sweat fell down her forehead as the heat began to settle on her. Suddenly, Juli heard footsteps coming towards her. She turned, thinking it might be her annoying, but lovable brothers sneaking up to play a joke on her. As she turned, Juli realized, this was no joke. This was Bryce Loski.

"Hi Juli," Bryce said awkwardly.

Juli was stunned. All she could do was look at him, standing there in front of her.

Bryce could tell she wasn't exactly ready to speak to him yet. "So…I see you're watering the grass. You know, after all these years, it still looks great." His eyes wandered over to the sycamore tree that still stood in Juli's front yard. Those dazzling eyes. They would always be dazzling to Juli, even if she did hate him.

Juli had contemplated chopping the tree down a few times after everything Bryce had done to her. He had broken her heart, something not easily forgotten or mended. But as hurt as she was, she could not find it in her heart to chop down the beautiful tree. In the end, she was happy with her decision. The tree was big and tall now, it was Juli's peaceful place. Anytime she needed to think things out on her own, she would just climb up and ponder, without a care in the world.

"Thanks," Juli finally managed to speak. She found herself avoiding eye contact. What was wrong with her? Juli Baker was confident and not afraid of anything. Why couldn't she look Bryce Loski in the eye? Even worse, she felt her cheeks burning up and her face becoming slightly red. Was she embarrassed or was it just hot outside? She convinced herself it was the latter.

"Look, you're probably wondering why I'm here, Juli. I don't blame you. But I had to talk to you. The thing is, I've been talking to my grandpa a lot. We're actually really close now. Who knew that would end up happening?" he said with a genuine smile to me. Suddenly Bryce's face became serious. "Juli, he's not doing so well lately. The other day we were talking, and he asked me if… he asked me to patch things up with you. It seems silly that we live across the street from each other, practically known each other our entire lives and never talk. I know I messed up in the past. But that is not me anymore. A lot of time has passed, and… I guess what I'm asking is if we could maybe be friends?"

_Friends? He wants to be my friend when we've ignored each other for the past four years? _Juli let this register for a second and tried to maintain calm. She felt so many emotions rushing through her, when suddenly she thought of Chet. Chet had been so wonderful to her and Juli respected and cared for him. She wasn't about to let a childhood romance stand in the way of that. She would honor Chet's request. "I'm sorry to hear that about Chet. Yeah, Bryce. We can do that." She paused for a second. For the first time in the past few years, she was looking Bryce straight in the eyes as he stared back at her. Memories started running through her mind and suddenly it all became too overwhelming. She needed to escape. "Umm, well I really need to help my mom... with a thing... inside. I'll see you around Bryce," Juli said darting inside her home. She couldn't take the tension anymore. She had to run away from the situation and these feelings Bryce Loski was stirring in her. For a second, everything _flipped _for Juli. She didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit.

**Bryce POV: **

Bryce had been planning this out in his head practically all weekend. He and Juli Baker had not spoken in years. How could he even begin to start a conversation with her now?

_Hey, Juli. Sorry I've ignored you and been a jerk these past four years, even though we happen to live right across the street from each other. Oh...by the way, how have you been?_

"Of course not, dummy," he said to himself out loud.

He was stuck. This would not be an easy task. He was pretty sure Juli Baker hated him, and he didn't blame her one bit. After planting the sycamore tree, Bryce didn't exactly do a good job of winning Juli's heart. During the next weeks few weeks after planting the tree, he had caved under peer pressure from Garrett, Sherry Stalls, his father, and practically everyone else at school. The rest of junior high would be miserable if he wasn't popular and well liked by everyone. Even if that meant being a coward, or worse: giving up Juli, he would go back to his old ways. Needless to say, their romance did not last long. After that, Juli hated Bryce, and rightfully so. Practically everyone Bryce was friends with, made fun of Juli. By the end of junior high, Bryce became an expert at acting like he hated Juli Baker. Truthfully, he could never hate Juli Baker. Part of him secretly missed being her friend, but he would never admit that to his friends. By the time they got to high school, it was all a blur. So much had happened and they never talked at all. Simple. They had moved on. Everything was just great… that is until Bryce's grandpa brought up Juli. Chet had always been a fan of Juli. He was less than thrilled when Bryce and Juli went their separate ways, but never meddled in his grandson's private life. That was not his place. Chet never brought the subject up, so when Bryce heard Juli Baker's name during a walk with his grandpa, it made him stop right in his tracks.

_Why is grandpa asking about Juli? Did Juli ask him to? Maybe they talked. Probably not. Juli Baker hates me. We're not even friends anymore. Things are different now._

His attention went back to his grandfather and that name he once had feelings for, Juli. Somehow hearing it still caused Bryce's heartbeat to jump a little.

"What? Oh... Juli. Juli Baker?" Bryce asked aloofly, as if he knew multiple Juli's in his lifetime.

"Yes Bryce, Juli" Chet said, not buying into Bryce's act. He knew his grandson too well.

Bryce sighed. He would not be able to change the subject with grandfather. He already knew. "What about her?"

"How come you never spend time with her anymore? She's a wonderful girl. I had the impression that you both had a connection, one that would last, son" Chet said searching his grandson for an honest answer.

"Well, grandpa, sometimes things change. And Juli and I… we've changed. It's nothing against her. We just have gone in different directions." Bryce hoped this explanation would leave his grandpa satisfied. He really didn't want to be questioned anymore about Juli Baker.

"That sounds fair enough." Chet paused and seemed to be analyzing the situation for a second. Then he looked at Bryce, "Would you do your grandpa a favor?" Bryce nodded. "Talk to her. I'd hate to see you lose someone important to you."

Bryce opened his mouth, ready to protest and insist that Juli Baker was nothing important to him. But, he stopped himself as doing so would only extend the conversation about her. "Ok grandpa," he agreed. The rest of the walk was peaceful.

_**Thank goodness** we stopped talking about Juli Baker. That's the **last** thing I wanted to talk about._

Two days later, it was time. It was time to finally confront Juli Baker. She was outside in her front yard. He had to man up and get this over with. He would do this for his grandpa. Bryce stood for a second and stared across the street as Juli watered the grass. He had not really allowed himself to look at Juli for a long amount of time since junior high. She had grown up. She had always been mature for her age, but there was something about her that seemed different… more confident, sure of who she was, after all this time she was still beautiful. He took a deep breath and crossed the street towards her yard.

"Hi Juli," Bryce said. Two words and he was already nervous. _Great, already off to an awkward start._

Juli said nothing, she just looked at him. He already felt extremely uncomfortable. "So…I see you're watering the grass. You know, after all these years, it still looks great." He looked at the sycamore tree he had planted so many years ago. It still stood there in her yard. Maybe this meant she didn't completely hate him? Or at least it gave him some sort of hope.

"Thanks," Juli answered. By her one word reply, it was clear Juli Baker did not want to do much talking. More awkward silence.

Suddenly, Bryce could not contain what he needed to say and the words seemed to fly out of his mouth, without thinking. "Look, you're probably wondering why I'm here, Juli. I don't blame you. But I had to talk to you. The thing is, I've been talking to my grandpa a lot. We're actually really close now. Who knew that would end up happening? Juli, he's not doing so well lately. The other day we were talking, and he asked me if… he asked me to patch things up with you. It seems silly that we live across the street from each other, practically known each other our entire lives and never talk. I know I messed up in the past. But that is not me anymore. A lot of time has passed, and… I guess what I'm asking is if we could maybe be friends?" Bryce could not believe he had just said all that to Juli. They hadn't talked and now he was pouring out everything in his heart to her. What was it about Juli Baker that made him feel so nervous?

"I'm sorry to hear that about Chet. Yeah, Bryce. We can do that." She seemed genuinely concerned. Juli had always had a big heart and cared about people. "Umm, well I really need to help my mom... with a thing... inside. I'll see you around Bryce," Juli said and disappeared before Bryce could say anything else. He stood there for a second, wishing there exchange of words had not ended so soon. He missed Juli Baker. In fact, there was a good chance he had always missed her. He never understood how Juli Baker had this strange power over him. Had Bryce Loski _flipped_... again?

**This is my first fanfic. I absolutely adore this story. Please read and review. Constructive criticism/ideas/feedback welcome**. **I'd really appreciate it. Thanks! :]**


	2. Parties are for the Popular Crowd

**Bryce's POV**

Monday morning. Bryce's least favorite day. It meant an entire week of tests, boring teachers, and hours of homework were to follow. This Monday would be different though. Bryce had asked Juli to be friends again and she had accepted. Only, this time would be his last chance. There was no room to screw up this time.

When Bryce got to school, he headed to his locker to get a few books for class that morning. No sign of Juli yet. He would make it a point to actually speak to her today at school.

"Hey loser," Garret joked as he walked up to his locker, located conveniently next to Bryce's.

"Good morning to you to Garret." Bryce was not in the mood for Garret's name-calling, even if he was only joking.

"Why so tense? We're going to dominate that football game this Friday, you're dating the hottest girl in school, and you've got THE best friend in the world." Garret grinned.

Bryce laughed a little. His best friend might be kind of a jerk to a lot of people, but to Bryce he was funny and cool, in his own way.

"Garret, we need to talk. I know you're not going to like this... but it's happening. Look, yesterday I talked to Juli Baker, and I asked her if..." but Bryce could not finish.

"**WHAT?** Juli Baker? This can't be good, man. I thought we agreed she was out of your system like four years ago. Now you're into her again?"

"Would you just listen to me? It's not even me, it's my grandpa. He asked me to fix things up with her, ok? I am doing it for him. That is all." Bryce knew part of this was a lie. Even if his grandpa had asked him to do this, Bryce wanted Juli back in his life. But he would not tell Garret that, at least not anytime soon.

Garret tried to calm down. He had never been a fan of Juli Baker. "Well, I guess if it's for your grandpa. But don't expect for her to sit with us at lunch or anything. Strictly friends… more like _acquaintances_?" Bryce could see Garret was trying to negotiate as little involvement with Juli Baker as possible.

"NO Garret, _friends_," Bryce said firmly.

"Who's your new friend, Bryce baby?" Bryce saw Sherry Stalls walking towards him. He had dated her on and off for most of junior high and all through high school, the hottest girl in school. Sure, she was a good kisser. But there was nothing really interesting about her. There was no substance.

"What? Oh hi, babe," Bryce said nervously. But he had to stand up to everyone about being friends again with Juli, even to his girlfriend. "We were talking about Juli. Juli Baker."

Sherry did not look happy either_. Great how many more people do I need to upset because I am friends again with Juli?_

"Oh, Juli," Sherry faked a smile. "Well sure, she's smart I guess. Maybe she can tutor you or do your homework for you Bryce," she joked and Garret of course went along with it, laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world. This was for two reasons; one: he disliked Juli Baker and two: he was secretly still in love with Sherry Stalls, even if he said he wasn't.

Bryce felt so angry. How could they laugh at Juli? Like she was not a human being or something. He had to stand up for her. "Can you both just stop? I meant what I said. Juli Baker is my friend now. She doesn't have to be your friend, but you have to at least be nice to her. Ok? Please for me."

Garret and Sherry could see Bryce was not kidding. They nodded, reluctantly, in agreement.

"Good. I am bringing Juli to your party on Friday night after the football game, ok Sherry?" _Good I have a plan… sort of._

With that Bryce headed towards his first class. Hopefully he would run into Juli so he could invite her to the party.

**Juli's POV**

The sound of Juli's alarm clock managed to startle Juli awake for school Monday morning. She had not managed to sleep very well the night before. After her conversation with Bryce, she couldn't sleep! Unfortunately, Bryce Loski had that affect on her. She scrambled through her wardrobe, trying to find something nice to wear. Nothing seemed good enough. _Who am I trying to impress? I am never this picky about what I wear to school. What is going on? Get ahold of yourself, Baker_.

She definitely was not trying to impress her boyfriend. Yes, Juli had a boyfriend. In fact, she was currently dating Eddie Trulock. He was the smartest guy in school, she was the smartest girl. It was the most logical thing to do, right? Their relationship was awkward, they had not kissed and Eddie's hands were always really sweaty whenever he held her hand. They sort of just dated to fit in with everyone else who had a boyfriend or girlfriend. Really it was nothing serious at all.

Nobody knew this, but Bryce Loski was actually Juli's first kiss. Back in junior high, after planting the sycamore tree, that same night Bryce had planned a picnic and a night of star-gazing. While lying on a blanket in the grass, staring up at the night sky filled with stars, it happened. They turned and met each other's gaze, intent on one another as if they were the only two people who existed in the world. And then Bryce's soft lips met hers. **Bliss**. It was _the_ perfect first kiss.

Juli had kissed a few boys since then, but none ever seemed to live up to that first kiss. By now she had convinced herself that it had nothing to do with Bryce. It was just that magic of the first kiss that was difficult to top. That was all.

Finally she decided on an outfit and made her way to school. The first person she ran into was her dear friend, Dana.

"Juli! Where have you been? Cute dress, what are you all dressed up for?" Dana asked smiling at her friend.

Juli blushed a little bit. Was it that obvious that she had paid extra attention to what she wore today? "It's not even time for class yet," Juli smiled. "What is it?"

"Well, a little birdy told me that Bryce Loski is asking you to Sherry Stalls' party this Friday."

"What? Well, I mean, I wouldn't want to go. It's Sherry. Sherry Stalls."

"Juli, maybe by _asking_ you to go, he means he wants you to go _with_ him. Like, as in be his _date_." Dana grinned.

"No, Dana. Bryce is dating Sherry. He likes her. The only reason he is asking is because his grandpa asked us to be friends and Bryce probably thinks this is a way of showing we are friends now. It's no big deal. Besides, I don't even like parties."

Dana started waving her arms and motioning to Juli like she needed to stop talking.

"What Dana?" Then, Juli felt a tap on her shoulder. _Of course it's Bryce. I hope he didn't hear all of that._

"Hi Dana. Hi Juli." He seemed kind of nervous. "Well, I was hoping to surprise you with an invitation to the party on Friday, but from the little bit I overheard, I guess you already knew I was going to ask." Juli could not help but giggle a little as Dana was entirely responsible for blabbing and she was standing right there. Her friend did that a lot, but it was all out of good intention. "So, Juli… would you like to come with me to the party? Dana, you're invited too if want to come."

"Well I know I would love to come. And Juli… come on Juli, say yes! Just once. Go to a party. Do it for me," Dana pleaded.

"And me?" Bryce asked with the most charming smile Juli had ever seen in her life.

"Ok! Ok! I'll go." She gave in. She was going. But Bryce had asked her to go with him. But he hadn't been specific enough. Did that mean I'll see you Friday and we'll go as friends? Or did it mean I am picking you up, and taking you as my **date**? _What mess did I just get myself into?_


	3. Monday Morning Blues

STILL MONDAY

* * *

><p><strong>Juli POV<strong>

Juli's first class was World History. She was having trouble concentrating though. Note-taking seemed a little trivial as she obsessed over if Bryce Loski had just asked her to be his date to the party or not. _Why are boys so vague about everything? _

"Juli, how about you answer the question?" It was the voice of Mrs. Burton, Juli's history teacher.

"Huh? Oh… proteins are made in the ribosomes," Juli said absent-mindedly.

"I was looking for when the French Revolution began, Juli. But thank you for that useful tidbit of information," her teacher said snidely. Giggles from the classroom.

_I hate when everyone laughs at me.  
><em>The bell rang.  
><em>Thank goodness. I just need to get through this next class. Focus, Juli.<em>

As hard as she tried to focus, it was not a very successful attempt. Bryce Loski was too tempting to think about. After her first two classes, Juli met up with Dana. It was lunch time. The girls walked down the hallway when Juli heard her name called. Hopefully it was Bryce!

"Hey, Juli." It was Garrett.  
><em><br>Am I on planet Earth, or is Garrett really saying something to me? He's been a jerk to me ever since I can remember. Since we were like four._

Juli looked at Dana for some kind of explanation as to what was going on. Dana just shrugged her shoulders. This was too weird.

"So, Bryce says you're going to the party this Friday, after the game."

"Yeah, he invited me and Dana. So I am going to go I guess."

"Well, you're missing one important piece of information Julianna."

_Is he going to tell me Bryce wants me to go with him? Maybe Bryce is being shy and sent him as a messenger or something. _Bryce had always been a little shy. "What's that Garrett?"

"Oh, maybe that you happen to be going with one of the cutest guys in school… meaning me."

_Woah. What is going on here? Garrett is asking me to go with him to the party? And the way he asked. It's so cocky, and completely not charming. He is no Bryce though._

"What's going on here?" Bryce asked.

Juli panicked. Bryce had appeared all of the sudden. She had no idea what to say.

"I just asked Julianna to go to the party with me this Friday. I mean now that we're all _friends _Bryce." Garrett answered.

Bryce looked either like he was going to be sick or like he wanted to punch Garrett in the face. "Juli," he looked into her eyes. Those dazzling eyes were fixed on her's and they almost looked hurt. "Are you going to go with Garrett?" Juli was about to answer, just when her least favorite person entered the room.

"What a cute couple! You should go with Garrett Juli. Don't you think she should, baby?" It was Sherry Stalls, all over Bryce Loski.

_She is so fake. Ugh, she still makes my stomach turn. What does Bryce even see in her? _

"Yeah, babe. I guess they should," Bryce agreed looking at the floor.

Juli was shocked, and disappointed. _That's it? Bryce wants me to go with Garrett? I can't believe it. He __**never**__ wanted to go with me. He didn't say no to Sherry. He never asked me to __**go **__with him to the party, he just __**invited**__ me. Bryce doesn't like me! This is pathetic, I need to just move on already. You've got to stop letting him to do this to you. You can't get your heartbroken again, Juli.  
><em>  
>"So Juli, is that going to be a yes or a yes?" Garrett grinned.<p>

Juli was broken away from her thoughts. It didn't really matter anymore. Bryce didn't matter. She had promised Dana to go to the party, and they would go. She was going to her first high school party; a party at her mortal enemy's house. And if she was going to go, she would not go alone. She would have a date. And she would go with Garrett. Juli was decided.

"It's going to be a YES. I will go with you Garrett." She directed this towards Bryce hoping to get a last minute response from him, but he continued looking at the floor, never bringing up his gaze to meet her's.

The bell rang. Time for class again. Juli was relieved to escape the situation. She wished the school day would end already. It had been a rough day.

* * *

><p><strong>Bryce POV<strong>

Bryce spent all his classes unable to concentrate because of a funny feeling in his stomach. It was a good kind of funny though. He hadn't felt like this in a long time. Not since junior high. And coincidentally, both times this feeling had something to do with Juli Baker.

_Juli is amazing. She was willing to give me another chance and be my friend. She cares about people and she's not fake. She's so real. And she's smart. Who knew I could actually have an intelligent conversation with a girl? And she is so beautiful. How could I be so stupid and let that go? What an idiot._

The bell rang. Time for lunch. But where was Juli? If he was inviting her to the party with him on Friday, he would do this right. He would ask Juli if it would be ok to stop by her house and talk to her parents for permission to take her to the party. He wanted to make a good impression and somewhat apologize to the Bakers for not coming around all these years till now. He hoped they did not think anything bad about him.

Bryce passed through the halls and noticed Garrett talking to Juli and Dana. _Weird. I know I asked him to make an effort to be nice. But this is almost **too** nice for Garrett. _Bryce walked over only to overhear Garrett asking Juli to the party on Friday. His heart dropped. Did Garrett like Juli now? Bryce could not believe this was happening.

"What's going on here?" Bryce had to ask if this was really happening. No answer from Juli.

"I just asked Julianna to go to the party with me this Friday. I mean now that we're all _friends _Bryce."

This was really upsetting to Bryce. But he couldn't give up yet. He had to hear it from Juli. "Juli, are you going to go with Garrett?" Still no answer. _Juli must really want to go with him. I guess she doesn't see us as more than friends anymore. Who can blame her? After what an idiot I was for letting her go… I don't blame her one bit. No wonder she wants to go with Garrett._

"What a cute couple! You should go with Garrett Juli. Don't you think she should, baby?"  
><em>Great, Sherry is here. This is just what I needed. Not really. I guess I better suck it up and go along with it. Then everyone will be happy. Everyone besides me. Garrett and Juli will go together and Sherry will have me. <em>

"Yeah, babe. I guess they should," Bryce said looking at the floor. _  
><em>  
>"So Juli, is that going to be a yes or a yes?" Garrett seemed so confident about this.<p>

_Please say no, Juli. _

A pause.

_Please. I don't want you to go with him._

"It's going to be a YES. I will go with you Garrett."

Bryce could not handle this heavy feeling in his heart. He wanted to go back to the nice funny feeling he had in his stomach earlier that morning. Or better yet, no feelings at all. Before Juli Baker was back in his life, everything was fine. Why did she have to be back and make him feel all of this?  
>The bell rang. Bryce rushed to his next class. Juli probably just wanted to talk to Garrett anyways. He would leave them alone. All Bryce wanted was some peace and quiet at home. Hopefully his mom and dad would not be fighting when he returned home from school. He just wanted to get away from everything.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry it took awhile to update! My life has been crazy busy, but my schedule will free up after next week so I will have more time to devote to this and update regularly. :] I edited this chapter a tiny bit... had a new idea about where to take this. Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate it guys. <strong>


	4. Touchdown!

**Bryce's POV**

The whole week had been pretty miserable. Sure, Juli was allowed to sit with him and his friends at lunch, but she would sit next to Garrett and mostly speak to him or Dana. Sherry always made a point of standing in the way if Bryce made an attempt to have any kind of one-on-one conversation with Juli. At this point, the whole situation seemed kind of hopeless.

Life at home was not much different. His parents were going through a rough time. They fought a lot, but this week was different. His mother said something she had never said before. She wanted a divorce. The night before, the Loski's were having a special dinner for Lynetta. She was visiting home from college and the Loski's hadn't seen her months. It was meant to be a nice, family get together, but that night at the dinner table, Patsy Loski lost it. She was through with Steven and his lack of respect, his drinking, his verbal and physical abuse, and the most painful: his infidelity. Bryce thought about the fight that had occurred the previous night at the dinner table…

"In a week, I want you out of this house!" Patsy yelled with tears running down her face.

"Patsy, I know I made a mistake. But this is **my** house too. These are **my **kids. This is **my** family," Steven pleaded in defense.

"You should have thought about that before you decided to cheat on mom with another woman, STEVEN," Lynetta snapped at her father. She made sure to call him 'Steven' with all the hatred she felt towards him. She would never call him dad again. He didn't deserve to be part of their family.

"Don't you talk to me like that," Steven began lifting his hand to slap her in the face, but Chet stepped in and stopped it.

"Don't you think that's enough for tonight, Steven?" Chet warned. "Now put down the glass of whiskey, drink some water, and try to calm down."

" You can't tell me what to do. Who do you think you are telling me what to do?" Steven began getting angry.

"Either you choose to calm down or I _will _call the police and have you arrested tonight. Which do you prefer, Steven?" Chet asked without flinching.

Steven collapsed into the sofa seat, defeated. He could not be sent to jail.

"You are such an asshole. I hope he does call and you get thrown in jail," Lynetta said disdainfully.

"Lynetta, please," Patsy pleaded with her daughter to stop.

"That's enough from you young lady," Chet demanded of his granddaughter.

"Ok, Mom. Sorry grandpa, I'll stop. I'm through with anyways. He's not even worth it." With that Lynetta led her mother to the kitchen in an attempt to calm her down and separate her from Steven.

"Bryce, go get a glass of water for your father." Chet was trying to delegate and bring the fight to an end, at least for tonight. He couldn't stand seeing Patsy in so much pain.

Bryce quickly got a glass and handed it to his father. "Aren't you going to tell me how much you hate me too?" Steven asked looking at Bryce.

Bryce was so angry, but he had to be the other man of the house and keep his cool. He couldn't lose it like Lynetta. Inside he felt like crying, screaming, yelling, and so many other things. But he had to be strong. He had to be strong for his family. He took a deep breath, and answered. "No, Dad," and walked away to his room. He needed to get away and think. What would happen to his parents? Would they divorce? What would people think? He had spent so many years preoccupied what people thought of him. He lost Juli because of that. He felt like such an idiot. That night he struggled to sleep. There were so many things he wanted to fix, but he had no control over. Why did his whole world feel like it was falling apart?

The next day at school was Friday. At least the week was over. He could play football tonight and maybe everything going on could leave his thoughts, even if it was only temporarily. Football kind of did that for Bryce. It made him feel sort of invincible. He wondered if that was the feeling Juli had described to him about being up in the sycamore tree. Either way, he knew it was an amazing feeling.

Later that night at the game, the sound of the crowd cheering him on and fans screaming his name was just what he needed to get his mind off of the incidents from that week. This was the fifth game of the season and they had been undefeated so far. They weren't about to let that winning streak go. They were going to win this game too. And they did. They won. It felt so nice after the terrible week he seemed to be having. But now it was time for the party at Sherry's. Suddenly, the joy of winning the football game seemed to vanish. He would go and have to watch Juli spend all of the party with Garrett. This would be torture for him, he already knew.

"Great game man," Garrett said enthusiastically to his best friend, giving him a high five.

"Yeah, great game," Bryce managed to force a smile.

"Now, let's go get trashed," Garrett grinned. "I'm taking Juli, you'll be with Sherry. It will be epic."

Bryce couldn't contain himself anymore. The jealousy had just begun to kick in. "Garrett what is this about? You were the one who always hated Juli the most. You constantly made fun of her, said she was retarded, and suddenly you're taking her to Sherry's party? It just doesn't make sense. You don't really like her do you? All I know is, you better take care of her and treat her well tonight. If you do anything to hurt her, I swear I'll -" but Bryce was cut off by Garrett.

"You swear you'll what? Are you going to rescue Juli from me and tell her how much you love her tonight? Because you really should. You're right, you don't get it. Of course I don't like Juli. I know how much you do though, and I know it's the only thing that will take you away from Sherry. My whole life I've been going crazy over Sherry Stalls. And she has never given me the time of day because you always stood in the way of that. How could I ever compete with Bryce Loski? You don't even really like Sherry, stop pretending like you do. I know you only date her because it makes you popular and well-liked by everybody. I would kill to be in your shoes because I actually _like _Sherry. So, that is why I did all of this. Call me crazy, but if you could just walk away from Sherry then we'd all be happy. I can't even begin to comprehend why you'd be happy with Juli Baker, but you would be. And Sherry would be with someone who actually likes her, she deserves that. I knew me taking Juli to the party would drive you crazy. And hopefully it would push you do what you should have done a long time ago, let go of Sherry. So come on man. What are you waiting for?"

Bryce stood amazed at what Garrett had just said. Essentially, Garrett was trying to make Bryce jealous enough to abandon his safe and popular position as Sherry's boyfriend. Garrett knew Juli Baker was Bryce's weakness. Best friends know that sort of information. Garrett was right, Bryce didn't like Sherry Stalls. Not at all. But being popular seemed to be everything Bryce had worked so much for and sacrificed for so many years. He would have to give that up for Juli. But she was worth it. She was worth so much more than that. Suddenly Bryce saw Juli approaching. He froze. What was he supposed to do? Sweep her off her feet and take her galloping into the sunset on a horse? No, he didn't quite have something as impressive or thoughtful planned out to win her over. She always managed to make him extremely nervous. She didn't even have to say a word and he was already melting like a piece of butter. _Quick! Say something. What do I say? Wow, she looks beautiful tonight._

"That was a really good game, Garrett," Juli smiled. "Oh yeah, good game to you too Bryce," she said plainly as if it wasn't a big deal that Bryce was the quarterback of the football team. She had been acting standoffish towards him all week.

Garrett waited for Bryce to make his move. He still stood frozen. "Alright then…. guess we'll be seeing you at the party then dude." Garrett and Juli walked away, Bryce staring after them

_Great, I had the chance and I stood there frozen like an idiot. I have to think of something. It has to be something really special. She deserves something as amazing as she is. Whatever I do, I am going to win her heart tonight. _

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><p><strong>Juli's POV<strong>

Juli had never gone to a football game, not to mention any parties during her high school career. At least, not till now. Tonight this would all change. And she was nervous. She was nervous but excited. What should she wear? Who would be there? Would the team win? Would she have fun with Garrett? There were so many questions going through her head.

Watching the game was a lot more fun then she expected it to be. And Bryce, he was an amazing athlete. She never knew that about him. He was the quarterback, so obviously every girl sitting in the stands was yelling and screaming his name. Although she wouldn't admit to herself, this kind of drove her crazy.

When the game ended she went to find Garrett. She figured congratulating him was the best thing to do since he would be her date to the party that night. Juli was single again. She had spoken to Eddie Trulock that week and they both made the agreement to end their so-called "relationship". Eddie actually almost seemed happy when Juli brought it up to him. They agreed to be friends and Juli was happy with that.

She finally reached Garrett and noticed Bryce was standing there with him. _Just don't even act like he's there._

"That was a really good game, Garrett." She paused. Bryce had still done really well. Just because she was mad at him, she wouldn't ignore the fact that he was a huge factor of the team winning that night. "Oh yeah, good game to you too Bryce." But Bryce didn't even say anything, not even a thank you. _What a stuck up, jerk. _Juli felt herself starting to get upset. She tugged on Garrett's arm as if to motion it was time to go.

"Alright then…. guess we'll be seeing you at the party then dude."

Juli felt her stomach in knots. Hopefully the party would be fun like the game. Hopefully people would be nice. Hopefully she made the right choice to go with Garrett. Maybe he would be the answer to getting over Bryce Loski. All she knew was, tonight she was going to party. And she was going to party hard.

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><p><strong>Next chapter… the party! I will try to update weekly from now on. Keep on reading and reviewing. Thank you! <strong>


	5. What's Your Poison?

**Juli's POV**

Stepping into the party at Sherry's was like stepping into a completely different world.

_There are so many people here. Do they even go to our school? _Juli recognized a couple people, but she wondered if the others even went to her school. It was just so packed inside with people. She had barely stepped inside and it already felt hot. The music was blasting. _I wonder how people even hear each other talking in here. _

"So what's your poison of choice?" Garrett asked somewhat loudly in attempt to be heard over the music.

"Huh?" Juli was thoroughly confused.

"Drinks. What do you want to drink Juli?"

"Oh. Soda? Or water?"

Garrett laughed out loud. "Juli, Bryce never told me you were so funny. Honestly, vodka or whiskey? I think there's some rum. What can I get you?"

Suddenly it dawned on Juli. She would have to _drink_ at this party. She had never had alcohol before. Besides maybe a glass of champagne at her cousin's wedding once. She wasn't so sure that counted anymore.

"Juli! You're here!" It was Dana. She seemed extremely happy, more happy than usual. "You're my best friend. I love you so much because you're always such a great friend to me, Juli." _Yep. I'm pretty sure she's been drinking. I don't know what drunk people act like, but I am guessing this is what it's like_?

Garrett was still waiting on an answer from Juli. "How about I get you whatever she's having?"

"You should try the rum and coke. Rum and coke is my favorite Juli. It really is great," Dana giggled a bit obnoxiously.

_Oh yeah, she's drunk alright. She looks really happy… I guess rum and coke can't be all that bad._ "Alright Garrett, sounds good."

Garrett walked off to get drinks. Dana hugged her best friend tightly. "Juli, this is so much fun, isn't it? I told you parties were not bad. Not bad at all."

"Yeah, you seem to be having a really great time Dana," Juli smiled. She had never seen her best friend act so silly before.

"I know your main dish is around here somewhere, Juli. Bryce! Oh Bryce, where are you?" Dana began calling, trying to compete in volume with the music.

Juli quickly pulled her best friend's arm lightly. "Dana. Sssssh! Nobody needs to know that besides you and I, ok? Please," she pleaded to quiet her down a bit.

Dana giggled. "See. You didn't say he _wasn't _your main dish. You **do** still like Bryce Loski. I _knew_ it," Dana said triumphantly, only this part she said much more quietly.

Juli sighed in relief. Nobody seemed to notice what Dana had just done. They were probably all too drunk to notice anyways. Juli laughed. Tonight would be pretty crazy. She had a feeling.

"Alright, one rum and coke for Miss Juli Baker." Garret walked back, handing the little red cup to Juli.

"Thanks Garrett." Juli took the cup and paused for a second. She would have to drink it. She took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing. _With that she gathered her courage and took a sip from the cup. She felt a burning sensation down her throat. She squinted her face a little. "Wow, that was umm… a little stronger than I expected." She laughed a little at herself, feeling slightly embarrassed for never drinking before.

"No worries. It gets less intense the more you sip. It just takes time to get used to," Garrett said with a smile.

_He's not half as bad as I thought. _"Well, this is not as terrible as I thought it would be," Juli admitted. She continued sipping. Garrett was right, the taste of the alcohol seemed to fade the more she sipped from the cup. She kept on sipping, and before she knew it, Garrett was bringing her drink refills. It was only polite to say thank you and keep drinking, right? So she did. But Juli Baker had no idea what she was getting herself into. Little did she know, she was getting pretty wasted.

Garrett was drinking a lot too. He seemed to be refilling his drink almost twice as fast as Juli_. He must be really used to this._ Garrett and Juli talked a lot. But strangely, Juli couldn't remember half of any of the topics they discussed. Everything was kind of a blur to her, a very happy blur. She felt like she was smiling and laughing too much. It was a silly feeling, but she was having fun. She needed to let herself do this kind of thing more often. She needed to have more fun sometimes.

"Juli, I think we should dance!" Garrett exclaimed with a grin.

"What? No Garrett. Really, I probably have two left feet. And I don't exactly feel like the most graceful person in the world right now," she giggled.

"Come on Juli. Dance with me. It will be fun."

"Garrett, I really don't know." Juli hesitated.

"One little dance. That's all. Just try it and if you feel really awkward we can stop. I promise. Please Juli!" Garrett pleaded.

Juli sighed. Garrett seemed very determined to get her to dance. "Alright, ok. Fine. I will dance with you." She walked with him towards where all the couples seemed to be dancing.

Garrett pulled her close to him. The music had a good beat. She let her body follow it and Garrett helped lead a little. She had not danced this close to a guy before. His face was literally inches away from her face. Garrett did not seem to back away at all though. The music seemed to drown away everything going on around her. It felt nice to just let go and dance. She was in her own world, when suddenly someone tugged her away from Garrett.

"Alright Garrett. You win. That's enough." That was all Juli heard.

What had just happened? She felt herself being pulled gently by the arm outside. Everything was a little hazy. She had no idea who had taken her away from dancing with Garrett. She felt disoriented. How would she get home? Would her parents be awake and question what she had done that night? Would they know she was drunk? Would she get in trouble for it? She made her way outside just in time to sit in a chair. Everything went dark, she blacked out.

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><p><strong>Bryce POV<strong>

Bryce had been glued to Sherry's side practically all night. She was really good about making sure he stayed right by her side, like he was her pet or something. He really felt ridiculous sometimes about the things he did to be her boyfriend. He glanced around at the people there, wondering if Juli had arrived yet. All he could think about was her.

"Baby, you were so great today at the game. I think later on I'm going to have to give you a reward for it," Sherry said seductively.

Bryce didn't answer. In fact, he didn't even hear what Sherry said. His mind was still on Juli.

"Bryce? Bryce, did you even hear what I said?" Sherry seemed somewhat pissed off at this point.

Bryce was not sure he could do this much longer. He knew one thing. Tonight he would be honest with Sherry, for the first time in his life. "No, Sherry. I didn't hear a word you said."

Sherry gave him a look. She obviously was not pleased. "Well aren't you at least going to bring me a drink or something? You're my boyfriend. You're supposed to do that sort of thing."

Bryce sighed. He would probably end things with Sherry tonight, but she was right. At the moment, he _was_ still her boyfriend, and he was raised to be a gentleman. It would be rude to not bring her a drink. "Yes, Sherry. I'll be right back with that."

Bryce walked towards where the drinks were set up. Everyone was being so loud. Bryce used to think parties were fun, but now they just seemed a bit obnoxious to him. As he served a drink for Sherry, he finally found Juli. She was standing with Garrett and talking. Both of them were laughing and smiling so much. His heart sunk. _Juli is so beautiful when she laughs, when she smiles. Even when she's not smiling, there is always something beautiful about her. It's just inside of her. _

He returned next to Sherry, bringing her a drink. He felt miserable. He made sure to stand where he could get a good view of Garrett and Juli. He wanted to keep an eye on her and make sure Garrett took care of her. Bryce could see Garrett getting Juli drunk. He was a little worried about it, but who was he to march over and tell Juli she shouldn't drink? Who was he, her mother? Besides, he had gotten wasted many times in the past, so it would only be hypocritical of him to tell Juli she couldn't do it. She looked like she was having fun too. He didn't want to ruin her fun with Garrett.

As the night passed, Bryce saw Juli and Garrett getting more to drink. The more they drank, the more touchy-feely and comfortable they were around each other_. They're acting like they've been friends forever. This is ridiculous. Garrett used to make fun of her and Juli never liked him. You hand them a few drinks and suddenly they're best friends?_ Bryce could feel the jealousy level within him rising.

"Would you stop staring over there, Bryce?" Sherry seemed really annoyed, and maybe even a little bit hurt. "Look, I know you want to look at Juli Baker all night, but could you at least pretend you're the least bit interested that I am standing right next to you? I mean, I know it's no big deal, I'm only your _girlfriend_ Bryce!"

Bryce sighed. This was not fair to himself, or to Sherry. He had made the resolution to be honest with her tonight and he had to do that. He had to be honest. "Sherry, why are we doing this?"  
>"Doing what, Bryce? You won the football game tonight and we're all having a good time tonight. That's what we're doing." Sherry tried to avoid what Bryce was getting at.<p>

"No, Sherry. You know what I mean. Why are we doing _this_? Look, it's been really nice. But let's be honest here, I don't think either of us has been in this relationship for the right reasons."

Sherry said nothing. For the first time, she was silent. Bryce was not used to her not saying anything.

"Please don't let this upset you, I am trying to be fair to both of us. Let's just say I know someone who is crazy for you and deserves you much more than I ever could. And I… well I'm kind of crazy over someone else. But I am guessing you already know who that is." Bryce's eyes wandered over towards where Juli and Garrett had been standing. They were no longer there. His eyes searched desperately to find her. He just wanted to know she was ok. Suddenly he saw Juli, dancing with Garrett. The dancing was too close for Bryce though. Garrett was not kidding about driving him insane tonight by taking Juli to the party. There was no doubt that Bryce Loski was going crazy watching them dance together. He was beyond that point at this moment in time. He really couldn't stand seeing Garrett's hands grazing Juli's body as they danced. This was crossing the line.

Suddenly Sherry began confronting Bryce. "What is so great about her anyways Bryce? She's not popular. She doesn't have the same friends as us. I mean… she's not ugly, but she's not as pretty as me. What makes her so much better? That's what I'd like to know. What could I do better Bryce? Because last time I checked, I was the hottest girl in school and everyone wanted _me_."

Bryce couldn't take it anymore. "Because Sherry, she is everything you're not. She's smart, and talks about interesting things, she's not self-absorbed. The world doesn't revolve around you, you know? She has a big heart, she challenges me and makes me want to be a better person. She's just, different Sherry. And to me, it's an amazing kind of different. I like it too. I like it a lot. I like her a lot. I'm sorry, but I just don't think this is going to work anymore."

"Take one more step and we're through Bryce Loski. I mean it," Sherry seemed to try to threaten him with these words.

Bryce shook his head. He hoped someday she would change. He made his way towards where Garrett and Juli were dancing. The jealousy inside of him was ready to sky rocket. It stung and made him feel sick to his stomach. "Alright, Garrett. You win. That's enough." He pulled Juli gently away from him. He would lead her outside for some fresh air. She was already stumbling a lot as they walked. He needed to sit her down first and bring her some water. He had no idea she was _that_ drunk. He almost felt like it was his fault for not stopping it sooner. The dancing really did it though. Garrett must have known that tactic was sure to push Bryce's jealousy to the maximum level.

Juli was mumbling questions to herself. It sounded like she was worried about going home and her parents, but he couldn't quite make out what she was saying. He sat her down softly in a chair. He had practically carried her to the chair, so when he finally managed to sit her down, he realized her eyes were no longer open. She had passed out. This definitely was not good. But he would take care of her. He wanted to. He would feel better if he helped her through what would probably be her first hangover.

_Should I take care of her here?_ Bryce considered this, but decided against it as it was Sherry's house. He had just broken up with her. This might not be the best place to stay. He carried Juli to his car. Bryce had not had anything to drink that night. Sherry had asked him to earlier, he just wasn't in the mood. Now he was glad he made the decision not to; he could drive Juli safely. Bryce gathered a few water bottles and got in his car where Juli was sleeping in the passenger's seat. He had never watched her sleep before. _She looks so peaceful right now. Just like an angel._ He pulled out of Sherry's driveway.

Suddenly he realized, he was no longer Sherry Stalls' boyfriend. He would probably never drive back on that driveway again. It felt good though, almost freeing. He was no longer living a lie. As he began to leave Sherry's house Bryce contemplated where he should drive to. He couldn't go to his house. He needed to help her sober up before he took her home to her parent's house. He decided to park near the bus stop where they used to catch the bus to school every morning, where the old sycamore tree had been. Juli was sleeping, and he would wait until she woke up.

Sitting in his car near the bus stop, Bryce reminisced about the way things used to be when they were young. The sweet innocence of their childhood romance was still fresh in his memory. It was such a beautiful time in their life. He wished things could be that simple again. Everything seemed so simple back then. Now everything was so complicated. His parents were getting a divorce. He was about to start making college decisions, where the rest of his life was going. He gazed at Juli and a bit of sadness came over him. What if after high school Juli and him went in completely different directions? Would they even get a chance to see if their relationship was meant to be something more? Bryce didn't even know if Juli felt anything more than friendship towards him now. He had made so many mistakes in the past. There was no way to know right now. All he could do was have faith and hope. He hoped that when Juli woke up she would not be angry he had taken her away from the party. Even more, he hoped she would be happy to see him when she opened those beautiful brown eyes. Now, all he could do was wait.


	6. What A Difference A Week Makes

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone! I really appreciate it. To all of you with Flipped fanfics, I promise when I finish this story, I'll read your's. I just don't want to get plot ideas from y'all. haha I know things were a little crazy last chapter, but I figured it'd be acceptable for the characters to have a little "fun" since they are in their senior year of high school. :p Keep on reading and reviewing. I love you all!**

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><p><strong>Bryce's POV<strong>

Bryce eventually began to doze off in the car. He tried to stay awake and wait for Juli to wake up, but he was very tired himself. It had been an emotionally draining week, a lot had happened. It finally got the best of him and he joined Juli to get some rest in the car. He didn't even realize he fell asleep. As the sun came up, he felt the light from the morning sunrise shining brightly on his face. He didn't like this as it completely ruined his ability to sleep. "Mom, just five more minutes," he said sleepily, not realizing he was in his car and not home sleeping in his bed. When he didn't hear Patsy answer "You have to wake up NOW Bryce," he figured out he was not home in his bed.

He reluctantly attempted to open his eyes. It was so bright outside. Then he remembered, Juli. He rubbed his eyes, finally managing to open them. "Juli?" Bryce looked to the passenger seat, it was empty. Where was Juli? He shouldn't have fell asleep. She must have left when he dozed off. He hoped she hadn't left a long time ago. He glanced down the road and saw a figure walking away from the car's direction. _It must be her. _He quickly turned the key in the ignition to start the car and catch up to her. As he rolled down the window he called out to her, "Juli! Juli please wait." She stopped walking right in her tracks.

Bryce parked the car and ran to her. "Juli, what is it? Why did you leave the car?" he asked with concern.

Juli didn't answer. She looked him in the eye and seemed sad, but then turned her gaze away from him.

Bryce felt he had to explain. "Look, I sort of took you away from the party last night…before you had any more to drink or anything worse might have happened. Juli, I hope you're not mad at me. I just, I wanted to take care of you was all. Please don't be upset." Juli didn't say a word. Her silence concerned him. She wasn't usually this quiet. What's worse, she wouldn't even look at him. "Juli, are you ok?"

A long pause. _Maybe she __**is**__ really upset at me for taking her away from the party._ _Please don't say you hate me Juli. That would kill me._

"Truth?" Juli turned to meet his gaze again, a tear rolling down her cheek. Bryce's heart sank. He hated to see her upset. "No, I'm not."

Bryce wiped the tear gently away from her cheek. "What is it Juli? Do you feel sick from last night?"

"I don't even remember what happened last night, Bryce. Do you know how terrible that feels? For all I know, I could have made some terrible mistake and not even know I did it. It's scary, losing recollection of an entire night; like I was completely disconnected from my body and someone else took control." More tears began forming in her eyes.

Bryce felt the need to pull her into his arms and hold her tightly, so he did. She began weeping into his chest. "Ssssh. It's ok Juli. Nothing bad happened, I promise. I can see why you would be upset, but please don't worry. I watched you closely all night and made sure you were ok," Bryce tried to assure her.

Juli choked on tears. "I feel so stupid Bryce. I wasn't smart last night and could have done something really stupid. What was I thinking?" She sounded angry at herself.

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. People make mistakes all the time Juli. It's only human. It's ok. It happens. It happens to all of us."

"Yeah but I knew better than that. I should have never-"

Bryce cut off her sentence, "Never what? Allowed yourself to stop being perfect and pleasing everyone? Allowed yourself to have a little fun for once?"

Juli stood speechless. Bryce felt somewhat sorry about what he just said, but it was the truth. She needed to let loose more and have fun sometimes. He was being completely honest with her, something he never could do with Sherry. He thought that was a good thing. But he didn't need to make her feel worse, he was there to help her.

He attempted to be more gentle with her. "Juli, I just don't like to see you beat yourself up over something little like this. You didn't do anything bad. You just had a little too much to drink. No big deal. Other people have made mistakes a lot worse than that. I mean, I let you go when I had the chance to have you in my life and be happy. It doesn't get much worse than that." The last part sort of slipped out, but he meant it.

A slight smile crept up on Juli's face_. I got her to smile._ That in itself lifted Bryce's spirit a little. But he was not done taking care of her yet. "Will you please come back to the car with me, Juli? I have some water and I think that will be good for you. We can sit and talk, or not talk. Whichever you feel like doing. If you still hate me, I understand," he said half jokingly. He really hoped this was not the case.

Juli nodded, this time, a full smile appeared on her face. "I don't hate you Bryce," she said simply but honestly. Bryce sighed with relief. As they began to walk back towards his car, Juli surprised him. Without saying a word, she grabbed his hand and held it, slowly intertwining her fingertips with his. Looking at the sunrise and holding hands with Juli Baker-yes, this was what pure happiness meant to Bryce Loski.

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><p><strong>Juli POV<strong>

Juli woke up feeling terrible. Her throat felt dry, she was light-headed, and she almost wanted to throw up. She opened her eyes and realized she was sitting in Bryce Loski's car_. I thought I went to the party with Garrett. I went with Garrett and Bryce was with Sherry. Why am I in his car? I could swear I spent most of the night hanging out with Garrett. I did. At least I think I did? Or maybe I got so drunk that I told Bryce the truth about how I feel about him. I hope I didn't. Or what if I did something with Garrett and Bryce told him he would take me home after since we live across the street from each other? Best friends do that sort of thing for each other. Best friends. Is Dana ok? She seemed a little out of it last night. I hope she didn't drive home. I guess it's good Bryce is driving me home. But I still don't understand why he is. Or what if I passed out at Sherry's and Bryce was bringing me home because that is probably really lame to do at a party and he was embarrassed about it? I really have no clue…_ Juli felt ridiculous. She had no idea what happened the previous night. Had she really had that much to drink? She looked at Bryce, sleeping peacefully next to her_. He is so handsome_. She had always secretly wondered what it might be like to wake up next to Bryce Loski. This was not exactly how she envisioned it. She felt sick to her stomach and had no recollection of the previous night. Bryce was sleeping, though. This would be her opportunity to slip out of his car and walk home. She felt too embarrassed to wait till he woke up to figure out why she was in his car to begin with. She silently unfastened her seatbelt and tried to open the car door with minimal noise. Success. Juli took another moment to watch Bryce resting peacefully. He would always be her first love. She sighed, carefully closing the car door, and began walking away from the car. She felt disgusting. _Hopefully mom and dad will still be sleeping and I can sneak in without them noticing anything. _Just when she felt she was getting a good distance away from the car, she heard Bryce's voice calling after her. _Great, not even two minutes and he already found me. That didn't work out like I planned. _

"Juli! Juli please wait." She stopped walking. Bryce was practically begging her to stop and she didn't really have the strength or feel well enough to continue.

Juli watched as Bryce parked his car and ran towards her._ I probably look like death right now. Why did you have to wake up Bryce?_

"Juli, what is it? Why did you leave the car?" He seemed so worried about her.

Juli couldn't think of a good answer, or a good lie. She was too embarrassed to tell the truth. She couldn't even look him in the eye.

Suddenly words seemed to fly out of Bryce's mouth. "Look, I sort of took you away from the party last night…before you had any more to drink or anything worse might have happened. Juli, I hope you're not mad at me. I just, I wanted to take care of you was all. Please don't be upset."

Juli was silent. Something clicked for her. It was clear Bryce had done nothing but really take care of her and make sure she was ok. _Does Bryce like me as more than a friend? He just seems too protective than a person would normally do for just a __**friend.**__ Or maybe he is just being nice? I wish he would just tell me._

"Juli, are you ok?" He was not faking anything, he was really concerned about her.

_I know one thing…_ Juli looked into his eyes. _He really cares about me. There is no denying that._ Then she remembered, he was waiting for an answer. "Truth? No, I'm not ok." A tear rolled down her face. She felt vulnerable at first, but then Bryce surprised by gently wiping the tear from her face with his hand. His touch sent a slight shiver down her spine.

"What is it Juli? Do you feel sick from last night?"

_Last night? I don't even know what last night was. It's like some blank memory in my head. _The thought of it began upsetting Juli so much. "I don't even remember what happened last night, Bryce. Do you know how terrible that feels? For all I know, I could have made some terrible mistake and not even know I did it. It's scary, losing recollection of an entire night; like I was completely disconnected from my body and someone else took control." Now she was crying uncontrollably. She felt weak and embarrassed for reacting this way.

Then Bryce did something he had never done before, he held her tightly in his arms. Bryce ran his fingers lightly down Juli's back, in a comforting way. "Ssssh. It's ok Juli. Nothing bad happened, I promise. I can see why you would be upset, but please don't worry. I watched you closely all night and made sure you were ok." Juli sobbed into his chest, she was so happy he was there to help her through this.

The crying was an obstacle for Juli. She had to choke back tears in an attempt to vent and say everything she was feeling. "I feel so stupid Bryce. I wasn't smart last night and could have done something really stupid. What was I thinking?"

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. People make mistakes all the time Juli. It's only human. It's ok. It happens. It happens to all of us."

Bryce didn't understand. Her whole life she had been raised to be perfect… the perfect child, the perfect role model at school. She wasn't allowed to make began defending her stance, "Yeah but I knew better than that. I should have never-"

Bryce cut her off though, "Never what? Allowed yourself to stop being perfect and pleasing everyone? Allowed yourself to have a little fun for once?"

Juli looked at him amazed. It was like he was seeing right through her and she couldn't believe it. No, Bryce had not done the best job of being a part of her life the past few years, but he still knew Juli. He knew exactly what she was thinking. How was that possible? He just understood her. She never felt like anybody really understood her completely, but Bryce Loski did.

"Juli, I just don't like to see you beat yourself up over something little like this. You didn't do anything bad. You just had a little too much to drink. No big deal. Other people have made mistakes a lot worse than that. I mean, I let you go when I had the chance to have you in my life and be happy. It doesn't get much worse than that."

Juli could not help but feel a tiny smile beginning to appear on her face. Bryce had just admitted he regretted losing her. Did that mean he wished things were different? Did he want her back in his life again as more than a friend? He gave a hint about being much happier if she was with him now. It was no guarantee of his feelings, but it definitely gave Juli one thing_, hope_.

"Will you please come back to the car with me, Juli? I have some water and I think that will be good for you. We can sit and talk, or not talk. Whichever you feel like doing. If you still hate me, I understand."

Juli looked into those dazzling eyes. _Hate you? How could I hate you Bryce Loski? You are the boy… I mean, I guess a man now… that I have loved all of my life. Hating you would be impossible._ "I don't hate you Bryce." Juli began walking back towards the car with Bryce, but if she was going to show him she felt the complete opposite of hate, she would have to be bold. She walked next to him and gently squeezed his hand_. I did it. I can't believe I'm holding hands with Bryce Loski._ Bryce squeezed her hand back. A bigger smile crept up on her face. In just a week she had gone from supposedly thinking Bryce was the biggest jerk she'd ever met to being completely gaga for him. _How did all of THAT happen in just one week?_


	7. The Cure is Pancakes

**Juli's POV**

The car ride back was mostly silent, but a peaceful silence. Despite the crazy night before, things actually felt nice. She had just held hands with Bryce and now he was driving her home. Juli could not attempt sneaking into her house though. The night before, she had absent-mindedly left the house without the spare key. She didn't exactly anticipate getting so wasted that she couldn't return home the same night. Bryce assured her it would be ok. She believed him too. With Bryce, she just felt safe and well taken care of.

As they drove up to their street, Bryce noticed his mother's car missing from the driveway. "Looks like my mom is gone. She must have taken Lynetta back. She was in town visiting this week," Bryce explained.

"How is she? It feels like I haven't seen her in practically forever." Juli always thought Lynetta was a cool big sister to Bryce. The adults always seemed to think Lynetta was a bit out of control due to her lack of censoring when it came to words and speaking her mind. Juli admired that though. Lynetta was just honest and said things simply and in a truthful fashion. There was nothing bad about that quality at all.

"That's probably because we stupidly avoided each other for practically forever." Bryce grinned.

_Why is he so unbelievably attractive when he smiles? _It made Juli get butterflies in her stomach. It was either that or her stomach acting up because she was still feeling a little sick from the night before.

"She's doing well, Juli. Thanks for asking. Well, she's alright, considering everything going on right now with…" Bryce seemed to stop mid-sentence though. Juli wondered what Bryce was getting at. Suddenly they stopped in his driveway. "Well, we're here. Dad is out of town, so only grandpa should be home. He is still one of your biggest fans, you know?" he asked somewhat jokingly. Juli nodded. "You'll be safe here Juli."

They both walked inside the Loski household. It had been so long since Juli had been there. "I hope I get to talk to Chet for a little. I miss conversations with him." Juli followed Bryce to the kitchen and dining area.

"He misses it too, Juli. We all missed you around here." Juli blushed a little bit when he said this. "Hungry?"

Juli shrugged her shoulders. She didn't really want to eat anything, but hadn't had anything since before the party the night before.

"You should probably eat something after last night. I'll make some breakfast." Bryce began digging through the pantry to gather cooking supplies. "I hope you like pancakes."

"Pancakes it is. Need any help?"

"Sure. You can stir the batter after I add all of the ingredients, if you'd like."

"Ok, I can do that," Juli smiled brightly.

Bryce began adding all the ingredients into a mixing bowl. "What are you smiling about so much?"

"Nothing… it's just, funny." Juli giggled a little.

"What is?" Bryce asked with confusion. What was so funny about pancakes?

"Well, the last time I saw you attempt cooking, it was Home Economics class in eighth grade. Mrs. Williams had us bake a batch of cookies, and you completely burned them." She started to giggle a little more. "I don't know. I guess it's just funny to think how much we've grown up."

Bryce smiled. "I remember that. The fire alarm went off and everything. I definitely learned my lesson that day."

"What lesson was that?"

"Don't leave your cookies sitting in the oven to go flirt with girls, or you will burn them."

"Well then, I guess you better resist the temptation to flirt with me or you may just burn those pancakes," Juli smirked.

"True statement. I will try to focus. But I have to admit, you are quite the distraction… very easy on the eyes."

Juli grinned. She waited as Bryce began to add in ingredients into the bowl. "I still haven't officially thanked you for last night, Bryce. It was really nice of you to look after me. I don't really know what could have happened to me if you hadn't been there."

"Don't mention it. Just look at it as the beginning of me making up for being such an ass these past few years."

Juli stirred the ingredients and handed the bowl to Bryce. "Since you put it that way, looks like you have _a lot _of making up to do," Juli teased. "I think it's ready to make now."

As Bryce began to cook the pancakes, a voice came from downstairs. "Is that pancakes I smell? Delicious." Chet walked out in his pajamas and robe.

"Chet!" Julie exclaimed. She had not seen him in so long. He had always been like a grandfather figure to her. She went over and gave him a hug. Chet hugged her back.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Juli. It's about time my grandson got some sense in him and brought you around here."

"Grandpa!" Bryce seemed little embarrassed, but continued making breakfast.

"She's blossomed into quite a beautiful young lady, wouldn't you say so Bryce?"

Bryce's face seemed to be turning a shade of bright red. "Yes, grandpa," he answered shyly without looking up from the pancakes. Juli could see this was amusing Chet, but not Bryce.

"You're too kind, both of you." Bryce began serving breakfast for the three of them.

Pancakes. Juli always loved them. Sitting in the dining room and eating breakfast, Juli noticed something different about the Loski's house. It almost felt… somewhat empty. She didn't know why. She knew Lynetta was in college and Patsy had gone to drop her off, but where was Steven? Steven had never been particularly nice to Juli, but he _was_ Bryce's father. Maybe he had gone with Patsy to drop Lynetta off? Bryce didn't make it sound like they went together though. He only said Steven was somewhere out of town. Maybe it had something to do with work. Still, the house seemed different than what she remembered it was like years ago. She couldn't pinpoint why. She wasn't about to ask Bryce or even mention it though. The last thing she wanted to do was pry and be nosy. Bryce wanted her in his life and she loved that. She wasn't about to do anything to risk losing that.

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><p><strong>Bryce's POV<strong>

_Why is grandpa trying to embarrass me so much in front of Juli? I think it's pretty obvious how I feel about her. Isn't that misery enough? I don't think adding on embarrassment is exactly the best thing to do right now. Maybe he is trying to help me. He knows Juli, and maybe is trying to help send signals for me. Wow. My grandpa is trying to help me in my love life? How much more lame can you get, Bryce? She keeps smiling, so she must be happy. As long as she's happy… that's all I want. _

They all finished breakfast. Bryce began picking up the plates on the table and cleaning up. Chet stood up from the kitchen table. "The pancakes were wonderful, Bryce. I think I'll excuse myself though and let both of you spend some more time together. You two probably have lots of catching up to do," he said with a smile to Juli. "Hope to be seeing you a lot more often around this house, Juli." With that, Chet was gone and only Bryce and Juli were in the dining room. There was an awkward silence. Bryce hated awkward silences.

_Quick, say something. Anything. I wonder if she is as embarrassed as I am for the way grandpa was acting. Hopefully she didn't even pick up on those "hints" he was dropping. They were pretty obvious though. _

Juli seemed to be trying to think of something to say too. Finally, she broke the silence."Well… breakfast was really nice. And I feel a lot better than I did this morning."

"Great. I'm glad you feel better."

"Yeah, I do."

"Great."

"Great…"

More awkward silence. _Why am I so unbelievably boring and unable to think of anything interesting to say when she is around?_

"So… maybe we can do this again sometime?" Juli asked hopefully.

"Breakfast? Of course. I mean, not _just _breakfast, but hang out anytime of the day. Anytime you want, just come on over, across the street. I mean because we live across the street from each other and all." _Honestly? Real smooth answer. I fail._

Juli seemed to like his response. Smiling, she answered, "I'd like that very much, Bryce." She took a few steps closer to him and planted a single kiss on his cheek.

Bryce felt his heart jump for a second. He was not expecting that at all from her, but it was a very pleasant surprise. " Me too," he grinned happily.

Juli looked towards the clock on the microwave. _She must want to get home soon. Her parents are probably awake by now._

"Well, how about I walk you home? My goal last night was to make sure you reached your doorstep safely. I still need to get you home Juli."

"That sounds great to me, Bryce. My parents are probably starting to wonder where I am. I hope they won't be angry at me for not coming home last night."

"Yeah. No need to worry. I talked to Dana last night and her parents are on vacation, so I told her we'd tell your parents you slept over at her place last night. I cleared it with her before she went home last night at the party."

"Dana drove home? Bryce that's so dangerous. She had a lot to drink too." Juli was concerned. Dana was her best friend and drunk driving was a stupid thing for anyone to do.

"I know, that's why I found her a ride home. She didn't drive. I didn't think she should drive either, so I asked a friend to take her home."

Juli seemed a bit amazed that Bryce had managed to do all of this."You know, for being a jerk all these years, you really are something Bryce Loski,"

"What can I say? I try my best," he joked. Bryce opened the front door leading to the street standing between the Loski and Baker households. Juli walked with him towards her house. Part of Bryce didn't want to leave her side. He was having such a great time hanging out with her. But it also made him excited for what was to come. He hoped this would be the beginning of something new and amazing.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry it took a while to update. Summer has been busier than expected. Hope you enjoy the chapter! Thanks to those who left reviews/added the story to their favorites/story alerts.**


	8. Just Friends?

**Bryce's POV**

The weekend went by fairly slow. Bryce didn't see much of Juli. He spent most of the weekend helping his dad move out the rest of his belongings into a nearby apartment he had found to stay in. He wondered if everyone in the neighborhood realized his dad was moving out. The last thing his mom needed was gossip being spread about her marriage falling apart.

By the time it was Monday again, Bryce was anxious to see Juli. All weekend long, he replayed in his mind the single kiss she left on his cheek. It was _agony._ That one kiss left him hungry and eager for more. He just wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her. He wanted to kiss her a lot. In theory, he probably had wanted to do that, years ago. Now that he finally had the nerve to admit his feelings for her, the need to hold her and kiss her was multiplied times a thousand. But he couldn't really act on this because technically, they were still "friends". _Damn. Just friends? I don't think I can take being just friends with her much longer. I want Juli to be more than that. But what if she doesn't want the same thing?_

Suddenly, he heard a whisper in his ear. "Bryce, can we talk?"

It was Sherry, but still, no sign of Juli. He sighed. "Yeah, I guess. What is it, Sherry?"

"Bryce, last Friday at the party was just one of our silly arguments, right? Everything is back to normal?"

_Shit. She thinks it was just another fight. She thinks things are still the same_.

"Baby?" Sherry waited in anticipation for his answer.

"Sherry…" Bryce couldn't say it, he felt bad. He knew it would hurt her feelings to say the words. Instead he shook his head.

"No? What do you mean, NO? Bryce, I've been your girlfriend since… well, pretty much ever since I can remember. I can't believe you. You're unbelievable. How can you just throw all of that away? You are going to forget all those years we had together. And for what? You're going to give it all up for _her?" _Sherry directed the 'her' right to Juli as she walked into the main hallway at school. "She's nobody Bryce. She's some girl who practically was obsessed with you throughout all of junior high and just so happened to live across the street from you. For all you know she could have been stalking you, she used to smell your hair! She' s nothing like us Bryce. Look, you were right, she _is_ different. But that's why you don't belong with her. Because she is different, it's not going to work. Just look at her, Bryce. She's Juli Baker. Can you honestly look at her and tell me you think that will work?"

Bryce looked down the hallway and watched as everyone seemed to stare right at Juli as Sherry made a scene and said mean things about her. Some people were really quiet and seemed to feel bad, while others snickered and seemed to be cheering on Sherry. The look on Juli's face was heartbreaking. She looked terrified. It must be terrible to arrive at school and have someone publicly humiliating you to the whole school. Bryce felt like everyone in the hallway was waiting for his answer, including Juli and Sherry. He hated that feeling…the feeling of pressure. It was a feeling he knew all too well being one of the popular people at school. You were constantly being pressured to maintain your popularity.

Then, Bryce saw Juli push her way towards the door of the main entrance and run out the door. He didn't blame her. Why didn't he speak up sooner? Waiting for him to answer Sherry must have been torture for her. _Damn it. I'm so stupid. _He looked at Sherry, still waiting for a response. "Sherry, look. I told you last Friday, and I am telling you again. It's OVER." He tried to say it as loud as possible. "Everyone else heard it, maybe you'll finally understand. Yes, Juli is different, SO WHAT? That is what I love that about her. And the funny thing is, I've probably wanted to be close to her just as long as she wanted to be close to me… since junior high. Please, Sherry. Try to understand. If you care about me as much as you say, then you'd want me to happy, right?" Sherry nodded. "Well, making Juli happy will make me happy. It's that simple. For once, can you please stay out of the way?" With that, Bryce walked towards the main entrance, hoping to find Juli outside. She was nowhere in sight. He had an idea of where to find her though.

* * *

><p><strong>Juli's POV<strong>

After the horrible morning at school, Juli could only think of one place to go: the sycamore tree.

_Why was Sherry so mean to me? She completely called me out in front of all our classmates. I was so embarrassed… I didn't even stay and hear Bryce's answer. He didn't agree with Sherry, but he didn't exactly take my hand in front of everyone and declare undying love for me either. Love for me? What am I even saying?_ The events of the previous week convinced her that Bryce Loski had to feel something for her, but now she wasn't so sure. They hadn't spoken all weekend. Maybe Bryce decided it was all a mistake and had gone back to his old ways. He had looked so busy moving things with his dad outside. _Maybe the Loski's were getting new furniture or something. Or maybe it was an excuse to avoid seeing or talking to me._ Juli didn't know what to think, she was so confused.

"Juli?" Bryce said softly as he climbed up to the tree to sit with her.

"Bryce, why are you here? You're supposed to be in school."

"I think you mean _we're_ supposed to be in school," Bryce attempted to say somewhat playfully.

_Is he really trying to joke right now? It's a horrible time to try that tactic. _Juli looked at him, seriously and firmly, waiting to know why he had gone to find her up in the tree.

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry. I couldn't take it knowing that you left before your heard me answer Sherry. I told her it's over, Juli. I told her that you are everything I want and that she needed to stand out of the way of that. I made it very clear that I want to be with you. And everything she said… that was terrible. She should have never humiliated you like that. You don't deserve it at all, and all I can think to do is apologize for her behavior. I really am sorry, Juli."

"It's not your fault. Sherry Stalls was just being Sherry Stalls," Juli shrugged, trying to act tough.

"No, Juli. It was completely uncalled for and I feel terrible she did that."

Juli hesitated, but she had to ask him."Bryce, did you mean what you just said… about wanting to be with me?"

"Yes, Juli." He paused for a second, he seemed to be hesitating a little himself. "Juli, I…I can't stop thinking about you." Bryce gently grabbed her hand. "All weekend, you've been on my mind. I just saw you Saturday morning and this morning I was going crazy because I hadn't seen you the rest of the weekend. I was so excited to finally see you again."

"Oh… really?" Juli was a little surprised by the information.

Bryce ran two fingers lightly down her cheek, staring directly into her eyes… those dazzling eyes of his. "Really." It made her get butterflies in her stomach. "Look Juli, I know I made mistakes and I'm working on making that up to you. I really am. And I can't promise that I won't ever make one again. I'm not perfect. But if you could give me a chance to…" He seemed extremely nervous at this point. "If you would give me the chance to try to make you happy and be your boyfriend…" He seemed to be waiting anxiously for a response.

Juli let what he said process for a moment. _Did Bryce Loski just ask me to be his girlfriend? I'm pretty sure he did. I've probably dreamt this would happen multiple times, since I was like five. And now it finally is. _It was a bit surreal to Juli. She was somewhat stunned, but also wanted to throw her arms around him and scream 'yes' in response to his question.

"Juli? Now would be the time to say something," Bryce asked nervously.

"Oh! Right! Sorry, Bryce. Umm… yes, I think I'd like that. Yes! Yes is my answer," she grinned from ear to ear.

Bryce got close enough to where his face was inches away from Juli's. Her heart was racing at a thousand miles per hour. She could feel his breath lightly on her face. He leaned in and gently pressed his lips against her lips. Juli let herself surrender completely to the kiss. He ran his fingers softly through her hair as the kiss deepened. It had been years that they had waited for this. All that was being let out in this kiss, this wonderful and passionate kiss.

But alas, the moment could not last forever. The kiss was broken by a voice yelling down below. "Julianna! What are you doing up there? They called from school and told me you weren't in class. What is going on? Is that Bryce Loski in the tree with you?" It was Juli's dad.

"Great, I haven't seen your dad in years and the first impression he gets of me as your new boyfriend is you and I cutting school together. That's just perfect." Bryce seemed worried about climbing down.

Juli smiled and gave him one last peck on the cheek. "It's ok, Bryce. We'll talk to him. He's always thought you were great, I promise. But we have to climb down and talk to him, ok?"

Bryce sighed. "Ok, let's go."

As they climbed down, Juli could not help but smile from ear to ear. She was Bryce's girlfriend. The one thing she had wished for since she was a little girl finally came true. Funny how life grants you wishes you ask for when you least expect them. Hopefully her parents would take the news well and be happy about it. She wondered what people at school would say. Hopefully Sherry would finally leave her alone. She couldn't wait to tell Dana! There were so many thoughts running through her head, but she was sure of one thing: how incredibly happy she was. Life was good.

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><p><strong>AN: This was kind of a short chapter, but I was trying to update soon! Hope you liked it. Since I've never written a fanfic before, I guess I'm wondering how you know when a story is meant to be over. I guess I will just have to keep writing and wait and see! lol**


	9. Falling to Pieces

**A/N: Just to warn you, things may get a little steamy in this chapter. If you are uncomfortable with that sort of thing, please don't read it. On another note, here is an update finally! I am doing a show right now and it has been consuming my life. haha**

* * *

><p><strong>Juli POV<strong>

It didn't take long for the news to spread around school. After Juli told her best friend that she was finally Bryce Loski's girlfriend, Dana made sure to pass along the message to practically everyone they knew. Juli understood this was because Dana was exploding with happiness for her best friend, and she simply couldn't contain the exciting news to herself. Consequently, the entire school was aware that Juli was now Bryce's girlfriend and Bryce was her boyfriend.

_Bryce Loski is __**my **__boyfriend_. A big smile appeared on her lips as she laid in her bed that night and snuggled into the covers. The concept of calling him her "boyfriend" was still somewhat new to her, but it was a good kind of new. And after a few weeks dating him, she didn't mind it one bit. In fact, it just made her extremely happy. Bryce made her extremely happy. A knock on the door took her away from her thoughts.

"Juli, honey. You have someone here to see you," her mother called from the hallway in their home. "It's Bryce."

Juli jumped out of her bed faster than a lightning bolt. "Umm… one second!" she said nervously, putting on a robe over her pajamas, which barely could be considered "clothes". She was practically naked before throwing the robe on. She began running her fingers wildly through her hair, hoping it wasn't too messy. She sighed. The robe was a little shorter than what she would normally wear to school, but at least she wasn't naked anymore, right? _Oh well. This will have to do._

"Juli?" her mother asked again, waiting for the door to open.

"Coming!" Juli beamed, as she ran to open the door. She was already excited about the thought of seeing Bryce. As she opened the door, she noted, he wasn't even in his pajamas. She felt herself turn a little red from the embarrassment. Here she was practically wearing nothing at all and here he was fully clothed_. Totally unfair._ "Hi, Bryce."

"Hi, Juli." But as he came closer into view, she noticed his eyes looked red and sad, as if he had been crying. His eyes seemed to be searching her eyes for help, or an answer. Those dazzling eyes… she hated seeing them in pain.

Juli's mother seemed to sense something was wrong. Normally, she wouldn't allow Juli alone in her room with a boy at this time of night, but she would make an exception this once. "No more than ten minutes. I'll be back to check on you then." Mrs. Baker closed the door shut.

The second the door shut, the pain Bryce had internalized and that Juli saw so clearly in his eyes seemed to gush out without control. He covered his face as tears fell down his cheeks and he attempted to hold them back.

Juli gently pulled his hands away from his face and hugged him tightly. He sobbed into her shoulder, unable to communicate what was wrong through his tears.

She couldn't take seeing him so hurt, crying limp in her arms. Her heart ached because she had no idea what was going on or where to even begin to try to help. "Bryce, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Why is everything so fucked up, Juli?" he finally managed to ask with an extreme amount of hurt, anger, and a hint of hatred in his voice. He separated himself from the embrace and began pacing a bit, as if he needed some space.

Juli had never seen this side of Bryce. In fact, she didn't even know how to respond to this question. What could possibly be eating at him so much for him to act like this? She could now tell he had been drinking before coming over to see her. He stumbled a bit to maintain balance as he paced and kept her gaze with so much pain in his eyes. Juli felt helpless. What could she do to help him? "Bryce, please just talk to me. What is going on?"

"Grandpa just had a stroke." Silence.

Juli felt her heart sink. She let the horrible news settle in for a moment. "Bryce, I'm… I'm so sorry."

"He was standing up for my mom. Grandpa was trying to help. My dad came over extremely drunk, what a big surprise, trying to convince my mom to take him back. When she said "no", he went completely ape shit. He **cheated **on her, and when she says "no", he goes crazy and wants to hit her. Can you believe what an asshole he is? He was going to hit my mom. Then grandpa got in the middle of it to protect her, but dad wouldn't stop or leave. Grandpa got really upset until the argument was getting out of control, and then he had stroke. And then dad just left like the coward he is and didn't even bother staying to see if he was ok. Grandpa is at the hospital in a critical condition, my parents are getting a divorce, Lynetta detests Dad with everything she has, and to drown all this shit away and numb everything, I choose to drink, possibly following the same footsteps and becoming just like my dad. My family is crumbling apart. And me… I don't know… I'm just, falling to pieces. Everything is shit, but the only good thing I have is you, Juli."

Juli knew he had let this build up inside of him for a long time now. She was glad he let it out though, even if it did kill her to see him like this. "Well I'm here and I'm not going anywhere, Bryce. I'll always be here for you."

"I love you, Juli."

"I love you too, Bryce."

Bryce paused and looked at her from across her bedroom. He hadn't seemed to notice she was not in anything but a robe until now. He crossed the room, looking deeply into her eyes, standing inches away from her now. He slowly unfastened the tie keeping her robe on. His hands gently slid the robe off her shoulder, letting it fall to the ground so that she was now only wearing her pajamas. Juli felt a shiver down her spine as the robe fell to the floor. She was wearing a lacey, somewhat sheer night gown that fell just above her knees. It was like he wanted to completely take in her sight and not miss anything. She could see his eyes trail from her head to her toes, not blinking once. Suddenly it felt extremely hot inside her room. She didn't know what was happening. But it felt scary and exciting.

"I just want to forget everything right now. I just want to be with you." With that Bryce pulled her close and began intensely kissing her. Juli put her arms around his neck deepening the kiss, asking for more with each kiss. Bryce gently led her to the floor, both of them on their knees, not breaking the passionate kiss. Bryce's hands began exploring Juli's body slowly, trailing from her thighs and working his way upwards. She couldn't help the sensation of excitement and wanting him to continue. They surrendered completely, transitioning all the way to the floor with Bryce of top of Juli. He began to kiss her neck gently, meanwhile she caressed his back, encouraging him with every kiss and touch of his hands.

"Bryce, don't stop. Please, keep going." Juli felt herself in complete bliss, until Bryce stood up quickly, leaving her feeling thoroughly confused.

"I'm so sorry, Juli. I shouldn't have done that. It shouldn't be like this. Look, I should go. I'm too messed up right now and we're both feeling vulnerable. Please, just know I love you. I have to go…" He quickly planted a gentle kiss on her forehead and tried to walk out without stumbling and making it apparent he was drunk to the Bakers.

Juli sat on the floor of her bedroom unsure of what had just happened. She had experienced feelings and something extremely in a foreign area for her. She was still concerned about Chet and his condition. It would be too late to go to the hospital though. Her parents would not allow it. Bryce seemed like he needed some distance tonight to clear his head. She would have to wait till tomorrow to talk to him. She was scared of what might happen: to Chet, to Bryce's parents, to Bryce, and to their relationship. She knew what had just happened would change things, and change was scary.

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><p><strong>AN: This was a little shorter than my usual chapters, but maybe if I try this method, I'll update more often. Plus, tech week is done and now I only have shows on weekends. So hopefully that means posting at least one chapter per week! Thanks to the new subscribers to favorites/story alerts and the kind reviews! You're all awesome.**


	10. How to Save a Life

**Bryce POV**

Bryce stood motionless, in complete shock.

His father had been over for what seemed like half an hour, persistently arguing with his mother to take him back because "he deserved a second chance" and he was "the man of the house". It was no more heated of an argument than usual, that is, till Chet stepped in. Bryce had never seen his grandpa so angry before. Chet and Steven were heavily arguing, yelling, screaming, and seemed to be desperately fighting the urge to get physical about the fight. Then everything stopped. All the noise and chaos halted with Chet yelling mid-sentence and then collapsing slowly to the floor. Everyone seemed to freeze for a moment, as if they all wanted to stop what was about to occur. But it was too late. Chet was on the floor within seconds. Bryce's mother was the first to move, quickly grabbing hold of a telephone to call for help. Steven stared for a second at Chet, looking horrified. In a way, this was all basically his fault. But he would never own up to it, he was too much of a coward to do that. He looked at Bryce half apologetically before darting out the front door in fear of facing any consequences for what had just occurred.

_That's right, just get up and leave. That's what you're good at. _

Patsy finished speaking with a woman on the phone who assured her the ambulance would arrive in no more than five minutes. "Bryce, please grab all of your grandfather's medication. We have to take everything to the hospital. And maybe a few items of clothing and things he might like to have with him. Can you do that for me?"

Bryce nodded, running towards his grandpa's room. He would have to be quick and get everything before the ambulance arrived. Putting everything into a little suitcase, Bryce fought the urge to cry. He was scared. Would his grandpa make it? He brought everything to his mom, just in time as the ambulance arrived.

"Only one person can go in the ambulance, Bryce. Can you stay here for a bit and maybe stay near the phone in case anyone calls? I can come back later sweetie and pick you up. I just think right now it would be best if I go alone."

"Ok, mom."

Patsy gave him a tight hug. "I'll call and let you know if- I'll call you soon."

Bryce watched as she got in the ambulance with Chet. He could no longer fight a few tears streaming down his face. What if this was the last time he would ever see his grandpa? The ambulance rode away, leaving Bryce standing alone on the driveway. He looked across the street, but no cars were parked at the Baker's house. Juli wasn't home. He couldn't go to her for help. Lynetta was all the way back at her university. He was alone, completely alone. He went back inside and the only thing sitting on the kitchen table was his dad's bottle of whiskey. It had probably been Steven's second bottle that night, but it was barely touched. After the argument escalated, he was so drunk to realize he had another bottle available to finish. With the whiskey bottle sitting there alone, Bryce removed the cap and took a swig of alcohol. The liquid burned his throat as he tried to swallow it completely. After the first, he took another swig. There was no other option. Nobody was there for him. All he wanted to do was clear his mind. Finally, a little more than halfway into the bottle, Bryce looked out the window and noticed Mr. Baker's car now parked across the street.

_Juli must be back. I have to see her. I need her. _

He stumbled his way across the street and tried to straighten up for Juli's parents. He knocked on the door to see Mrs. Baker open the front door, smiling.

"Well, hello Bryce."

"Hi, Mrs. Baker. Is Juli home? I need to talk to her," he asked almost desperately.

"Yes, she is. She's in her room, but… I think I can get her out of bed for a minute if you need to talk. Come on inside." Mrs. Baker led him to the outside of Juli's bedroom. She knocked on her door. "Juli, honey. You have someone here to see you. It's Bryce."

"Umm… one second!" Bryce heard Juli call from inside her bedroom. She was taking sort of long to open the door. Bryce hoped it would be soon enough before Mrs. Baker caught on to his lack of soberness.

"Juli?" Mrs. Baker asked again, waiting for the door to open.

"Coming!" Juli answered as she finally opened the door. "Hi, Bryce," she said with that lovely smile of her's. She was so beautiful.

"Hi, Juli." Bryce tried to maintain his cool in front of Mrs. Baker. No way was he going to break down and make a scene right now. He would wait till he was alone with Juli. He looked at her and saw her smile had faded. The smile faded as soon as she looked into his eyes. Bryce knew she could already tell something was wrong.

"No more than ten minutes. I'll be back to check on you then." Mrs. Baker left them alone and shut the door.

_Fuck, here it goes._ Bryce lost it. Everything he had been holding in exploded. It had been a rough day and he needed to get all of it out of his system. He tried covering his face, a little embarrassed by how much he was crying, but it was no use. He was sobbing and Juli could clearly hear and see that he was feeling pretty miserable. She came over and slowly took his hands away from his face. She hugged him and he cried into her shoulder, for what seemed like a few minutes.

"Bryce, what is it? What's wrong?"

He was so angry and hurt. He was upset that his parents were divorcing, upset that everyone hated his dad and worse, had an absolutely valid reason to. But the thing most upsetting was that Chet's health was in serious danger, all because of his dad. "Why is everything so fucked up, Juli?" Bryce broke the hug, and walked a bit around her room. He needed some space to breathe and think clearly.

"Bryce, please just talk to me. What is going on?" Juli pleaded for an answer.

Bryce paused for a moment, reluctant to tell her the truth. He knew the news would hit her just as hard as Juli cared very much for Chet. But he had to say it."Grandpa just had a stroke." It stung to say the words.

"Bryce, I'm… I'm so sorry." She seemed to take the news with a heavy heart.

Bryce hated seeing Juli hurt. But he knew she needed to know exactly how everything happened. Bryce explained the argument between his father and grandfather that night and how it had escalated out of control. "… and then he had stroke. And then dad just left like the coward he is and didn't even bother staying to see if he was ok. Grandpa is at the hospital in a critical condition, my parents are getting a divorce, Lynetta detests Dad with everything she has, and to drown all this shit away and numb everything, I choose to drink, possibly following the same footsteps and becoming just like my dad. My family is crumbling apart. And me… I don't know… I'm just, falling to pieces. Everything is shit, but the only good thing I have is you, Juli."

"Well I'm here and I'm not going anywhere, Bryce. I'll always be here for you."

Juli's words meant the world to Bryce. He knew she meant every word and it only made him love her that much more. He had never used the word love around her, but was how he felt. "I love you, Juli." He took a deep breath. _I can't believe I just said that. _

"I love you too, Bryce." Once again, Bryce knew she wasn't just throwing the word 'love' around, she meant it.

He paused and looked at her from across her bedroom, she seemed so far away. He wanted to kiss her passionately right now. His eyes trailed from her head to toes. She was wearing a tiny robe over what seemed to be thin pajamas. The curiosity was killing him. Just for this moment, he forgot about everything else and the only person occupying his mind was Juli, standing across the room from him. He walked towards her, never breaking eye contact. He stood inches away from her now, slowly undoing her robe and letting it fall to the floor. His eyes watched the robe slide off her shoulders, slowly revealing inches of her body until it was all the way on the floor. He wanted to take it all in, every inch of her. He had always thought Juli was beautiful, but seeing her like this was different. She was without a doubt, the most beautiful person he had seen in his life. He couldn't take it any longer."I just want to forget everything right now. I just want to be with you," Bryce pleaded as he pulled Juli close for a passionate kiss. She did not fight it at all, surrendering to the kiss and wrapping her arms around his neck. Both of them wanted this, asking for more with each kiss. Before he knew it, he was completely on top of her, placing gentle kisses on Juli's neck and caressing her skin with his hands.

"Bryce, don't stop. Please, keep going," Juli begged, running her fingers down his back, encouraging more.

Bryce looked up, seeing the look of absolute pleasure on Juli's face. It became too much for him to handle. _What am I doing? This is her parent's house. I'm drunk. We're both upset about grandpa. This isn't ok._ He stood up quickly, leaving Juli lying on the floor by herself for a moment. "I'm so sorry, Juli. I shouldn't have done that. It shouldn't be like this." Juli sat up, looking at him with confusion in her eyes. "Look, I should go. I'm too messed up right now and we're both feeling vulnerable. Please, just know I love you. I have to go…" He left a quick kiss on her forehead before exiting Juli's room and making his way back towards his home.

Even though he ached for more of Juli, he knew he had made the right decision. He opened the front door and walked back inside his house. Bryce picked up the phone. _Still, not a single new message._ He sighed deeply as he sunk into the couch. He pondered what he could do to help. How could he save Chet? How could he save his family from falling apart anymore than it already had? But there was no solution. He couldn't do anything. All there was to do now was to wait with the phone in his hand, praying and hoping for good news about his grandpa.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for the new reviews! Bane of the world: what a compliment for my first fanfic! Best of luck with the film making. I'm sure you will be great at it :]. Who are You What Do You Want: LOL. When I said a show, I mean I am in a musical called RENT. Musical Theatre is actually what I'm majoring in and my biggest passion. No topless anything involved, I promise. But please, use Dana for whatever you wish- the character doesn't belong to me at all :p. Cammygrl: I'm glad you recognized the song reference. I like to write while I listen to music—it helps to get me inspired. That song was on Pandora when I wrote the chapter. Note the new chapter title (totally from another song, as is the title of my story :D).**


	11. Rolling in the Deep

**A/N: Ok, so here is the deal. I am currently studying abroad and experiencing many wonderful things, but that means fewer time to write and update this story. I haven't forgotten about it though and I am determined to continue with this first fanfic of mine! I am only studying abroad until December, so until then could you pretty please bear with me on the really slow updates? I will do my best to update until then. I really appreciate the reviews, subscriptions,and yall reading the story! Xoxoxo  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Bryce POV<strong>

"Bryce, wake up. We have to go." No answer. He had passed out on the couch the night before, with the phone still in hand.

"Bryce, come on. Get up." Still no response, he was knocked out cold. "Bryce? Seriously, I am not kidding. You need to get up. Alright, you leave me no choice," Lynetta shrugged in annoyance. Suddenly a stuffed animal was flung across the room, right in his direction. "HEY TURDFACE, it's time to get up."

Bryce groaned, realizing Lynetta had just thrown a stuffed Winnie the Pooh right at him. Sometimes he just didn't understand Lynetta's way of showing affection.

"Look, I know I ruined your beauty sleep but mom is waiting for us, ok? Throw on some clothes and lets go, you can sleep in the car." She tossed a pair of jeans and a shirt to him. "Catch."

Half awake, Bryce managed to catch the clothes Lynetta had grabbed for him to change into. _And this is when I remember, my sister is actually cool. _"Thanks."

"I'll meet you in the car, little brother." With that she closed the front door and left Bryce to quickly get ready.

He threw on the shirt and jeans as fast as he could. He wondered if his grandpa was ok. As he left his house, he saw Juli helping her father wash his truck outside. Suddenly it dawned on him, last night things had gotten a bit out of control for him and Juli. And then he just took off and left her there.

_I hope she isn't upset at me for doing that. She must have understood that we were both feeling vulnerable and weren't thinking clearly. It was irrational of us, right?_

But last night had felt so right. He wasn't sure why, but they both seemed to want it. Juli began walking towards his driveway when Lynetta honked the car horn. She gave him a look that said he needed to get in the car NOW.

"Ok, I'm coming," he said with a sigh. He half waved at Juli before getting in the car. _I'll talk to Juli later and clear things up. _But right now, his grandpa was the main priority.

The car ride was mostly silent, Bryce hated silences. He wondered if Lynetta knew anything about Chet. "Did Mom say anything, Lynetta? About grandpa, I mean."

Lynetta simply shook her head, continuing to focus on driving. She seemed about as clueless as he was about the situation. Silence again. _Great, hopefully we get there soon. The waiting and not knowing anything is torture.  
><em>  
>By the time they reached the hospital, Patsy was sitting in the guest waiting room. She hugged both her children tightly, before explaining Chet's condition. Bryce's stomach was in knots.<p>

"Grandpa's blood pressure went down pretty severely last night, but the doctors were able to stabilize it. He is being monitored closely and it looks like he is going to be ok," Patsy said with relief.

Bryce felt the knots in his stomach loosen, one by one. "Can we go see him?"

"Yes sweetie, you and Lynetta can go in. He may not respond a lot right now, but I know he will be happy you're there."

Bryce and Lynetta walked to the room their mother said Chet was in. He was lying in the hospital bed, eyes slightly open.

"Hey grandpa," Lynetta said softly.

"Hi grandpa," Bryce echoed Lynetta's tone. He gently grabbed Chet's hand and felt a tiny squeeze, acknowledging that they were there. "I'm glad you were strong and hung in there, grandpa."

"Of course he did little brother. Gramps is too much of a badass to let anything get to him," Lynetta lightly joked.

Bryce couldn't help but laugh a little, and oddly enough, Lynetta was right. Chet was a strong, tough man, always there to protect his family. He was a good man. Bryce probably could not think of a better one he had met in his life. He hoped one day to become like Chet: caring, strong, wise, and a protector. He felt another squeeze of his hand, this time Chet was closing his eyes. "Lynetta, I think we better let him get some rest." Bryce gave his grandpa one last gentle squeeze of the hand before leaving the room. He was so happy to know Chet would be ok.

They drove back in separate cars, this time Bryce rode with Patsy. Again, it was mostly silent, but a peaceful silence. Arriving in their driveway, Bryce saw Juli sitting outside by the sycamore tree. Patsy and Lynetta went inside the house, leaving him free to talk to Juli. Once again his stomach was in knots, unsure of how to even talk about what happened the night before. He had to, no exception. _Man up, you have to do this._

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><p><strong>Juli POV<strong>

Juli watched Bryce crossing the street, towards her. She had spent most of the day worried about Chet. Bryce didn't seem upset or sad, that was a good sign. She stood up and waited anxiously for him to reach the sycamore tree.

"I have been worrying all day, part of me wanted to go to the hospital and check to see how he was doing, but I didn't want to impose. Is Chet ok?"

Bryce nodded. "He is in a fragile condition, but it looks like he will make it through just fine."

Juli hugged Bryce tightly and he held her tightly as well. The news was so good to hear and it just felt right to be in Bryce's arms. After a few seconds Bryce broke the embrace.

"Juli, we need to talk... about last night."

Juli immediately dropped eye contact, feeling slightly embarrassed and overwhelmed about last night. She had never experienced anything like that before, but she hadn't fought it at all, instead she completely surrendered.

Sure, she had spent most of her life practically infatuated with Bryce Loski, but this was a different kind of power he held over her. Last night, the slightest touch or contact would have made Juli do anything to be close to Bryce. And frankly, it scared the shit out of her, for lack of better terms.

"Juli, will you please just look at me? Last night we were both feeling vulnerable and we weren't thinking clearly. We were upset and desperate for affection. That's all it was. It's ok. There is no need to feel embarrassed about anything. We can just pretend it never happened."

_Pretend it never happened? _

Those words and the idea of it hurt Juli. How could she ignore what she had felt last night when it had been so strong? She was left with a yearning to explore, to know more of Bryce and to understand why she had felt the way she did. Apparently Bryce did not agree. She tried to force a smile and agree with him. "Yeah, you're right. It's already forgotten."

Bryce seemed to sense something was still not right. "You sure you're ok?"

Juli shrugged her shoulders, sinking down to the grass to rest her head on the sycamore tree. "I'm ok." She needed time to herself. "You should go check on your mom. I'm sure she needs you and Lynetta right now."

Bryce frowned a little."You're probably right. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

Juli simply nodded. Bryce planted a single kiss on her cheek before going back to his house. Juli watched him go, confusion filling her mind.

_How can he be so nonchalant about it? Clearly he didn't feel or experience anything I did last night. Was it so horrible that he just wants to erase it from our memories? The circumstances could have been better, but what happened was special. Wasn't it? I have never wanted to be with anyone more than I wanted to be with Bryce last night.  
><em>

Juli hated this feeling. She was going crazy over Bryce Loski. To make matters worse, he didn't seem to be much affected by her at all. She climbed to the top of the sycamore tree, watching the sunset and trying to find comfort in the situation, but no luck. There was no going back: she was rolling in the deep for Bryce.

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><p><strong>AN: Hopefully you found the chapter enjoyable! It was my first time writing in a while, so hopefully not too shabby as I get back in the swing of things. Please keep reading and review****ing. ****Thanks!**


	12. First Times are Tough on the Heart

**Juli POV**

The next week was one filled with awkward tension between Juli and Bryce. After they had agreed to act like nothing happened between them, the night Chet had a stroke, things were different. Things had gotten a little hot and heavy that night, but they agreed to pretend it never happened. So where was the problem? Truthfully, what happened that night was too difficult for Juli to erase from her memory. That night had left her wanting more. She wanted to relive the way Bryce had kissed her neck and body so sweetly. But that would never happen again if she and Bryce were supposed to just push it aside and sweep it under the rug. Kissing him was different now. A single kiss from Bryce Loski would send a million little jolts of electricity through her body. How was she supposed to ignore that? Now that they were officially a couple, everything seemed so much more complicated. Had she made a mistake committing herself as a girlfriend to Bryce? Her mother had previously made a comment about how becoming serious about one boy might be too soon for Juli. According to her, this was the time to enjoy being young and the variety of options in life. Maybe her mom was right. But ever since she was a little girl, Bryce Loski was all she wanted. Now that she finally had that, she questioned it? She should be perfectly content. Juli's thoughts were filled with confusion as she put books away in her locker.

"Hey you," Bryce said casually.

"Oh, hi Bryce," Juli replied, broken from her thoughts.

"Sorry we haven't seen each other much this week. I've just had a lot of studying to do... and a big project."

Somehow Juli felt like he wasn't being completely honest. It was like he had been trying his best to avoid her this week. "That's ok. I understand."

Bryce seemed relieved. "Ok, thanks." A nervous pause. "Juli, I think we need to talk."

Her heart dropped. 'We need to talk', usually refers to one thing... _Is Bryce Loski breaking up with me?  
><em>  
>"How about tonight? I can make us dinner at my house," Bryce suggested.<p>

"Sure," she replied nervously, not knowing what Bryce wanted to talk about.

"Great." He seemed kind of nervous too. "I'll stop by and pick you up around 7?"

Juli nodded. _Why is he being so secretive?_

Before leaving Bryce planted a kiss on her cheek. "I'll see you then."

What was going on? Brief conversation. A kiss on the cheek. Was Bryce acting unusually distant? Juli didn't understand. He could be so confusing. And worse, there was nothing she could do about it. All she could do was nervously wait for tonight.

**Bryce POV**

As Bryce walked away from Juli, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Things had been awkwardly tense all week between them. They hadn't been fighting or angry at one another. This was a different kind of tension. After the night he drunkenly let his passion for Juli occur, things had changed. Despite his efforts to forget about that night, he found himself unconsciously replaying everything in his mind... slowly sliding her robe off, taking in the sight of how beautiful she was, kissing her fiercely and wanting to know every bit of her body. But was that normal? Bryce may have been the most popular and handsome guy at school and dated many girls, but he had never thought like this about someone. Thinking about Juli made him crazy. Even kissing her was too hard to bear without wanting more. He had been planting small little pecks on her mouth or cheek all week, hoping to control how he felt. He had also been avoiding her as much as possible during the week. She was his girlfriend. Things couldn't remain like this; Bryce had to do something. Finally, he had resolved to be honest and tell her the truth. He loved that about Juli. He could be honest with her.

How could he adequately describe how he felt? This would be a challenge. This was not just any girl, this was Juli Baker. Juli was irridescent and dazzling, just as Chet had described Bryce's grandmother. Bryce knew she was the one, the one he wanted to be his first. He could not think of anyone else he would want to experience that with but Juli.

That night, he nervously tried on about six different shirts, finally settling on the first he had chosen. He wanted to look good for Juli. He even had set up a romantic dinner, complete with candlelight and the fancy dishes and glasses in the Loski household. He rang the doorbell to pick Juli up from her home. She walked out in a simple yet lovely dress. She was so beautiful.

"Have her home by 10," Mr. Baker instructed.

"Yes, sir."  
><em><br>Please let tonight go smoothly._Bryce was extremely nervous.

They walked to his home exchanging few words. Bryce pulled the door open, evidently surprising Juli with the candlelit dinner. She thanked him and Bryce said "you're welcome", but then it was silent once again. Dinner went by slowly. They ate, but neither seemed to be brave enough to speak. Occasionally there was a short comment about the food or something trivial, but no real conversation. Both made eye contact and seemed to be trying to figure out what the other was thinking. It was a maze. Again, that awkward tension that had been present all week long was clear in the room. Finally, Juli broke the silence.

"Bryce, why are we doing this? You invited me to talk. So can you please tell me what this is about?"

Bryce felt his stomach drop. He didn't exactly plan how the conversation would go tonight. He took a deep breath. "Juli, this week has been really... hard. I know I said we should forget about the other night, when we..." he nervously dropped eye contact.

Juli nodded, indicating she knew exactly what he was talking about. "I know."

"Well, honestly, I haven't been able to get that night out of my mind. Juli, I have to actively stop myself from wanting to kiss you and hold you and... well a whole lot more than that. This isn't coming out exactly like I hoped, but... what I'm trying to say is, I want you to be the one. I want you to be my first. I love you, Juli and I want it to be you."

**Juli POV**

Juli sat across from Bryce, silent. Part of her wanted everything Bryce had just said to become reality, while the other part wanted to run away. Now that she was here in the moment, the reality of the situation became a little intimidating.

Suddenly, Bryce got up from the table, crossing to Juli, standing behind her chair. Gently pushing her hair away from her ear, he whispered and pleaded for an answer. "Please Juli, tell me what you're thinking."

Juli hesitated to answer. _Why am I suddenly so nervous and afraid? Earlier today I would have answered with certainty that I feel exactly the same.  
><em>  
>She couldn't even turn to face Bryce, unsure of how to even answer. This was a big deal. "Bryce, I..." her voice trailed, still nervous and not sure where this was going. Why was answering him so difficult? Finally, she gathered her courage and turned to face him. Bryce's face was inches away, she could feel his warm breath dancing on her cheek; they were both breathing heavily. Then she looked into his eyes, those dazzling eyes, and couldn't resist. She pulled him in for a passionate kiss, Bryce eager to return it. He began planting soft kisses on her neck, sending shivers through her spine. She felt herself surrendering already, just like the other night. His touch and the sensation of his lips trailing down her neck was too much."Yes, Bryce. Yes. I want you to be my first too," Juli pleaded with anticipation.<p>

Bryce was gentle and sweet with Juli. They were slowly building up to the sex, since it was the first time for both; however, as it progressed, a million questions began flooding Juli's mind. _Will we both be happy in the end if we are each other's firsts? Will he tell anyone if we do it? Will I? What happens tomorrow after we do this? What if we both hate it and it ruins our relationship? Will I lose him as a boyfriend? Or worse, will I lose him as a friend? What if it is incredible? What if we love it? But what if we end up going separate ways for college? Do I want to give up that much of myself and lose it to someone I may not see very much in two months? Are we both going to want to be apart of each other's lives after graduation? Shouldn't we do this with some sort of protection? Why does this suddenly feel almost wrong?_

By this point, both were undressed, getting closer to what suddenly was the scariest thing Juli could do. Bryce had taken over as Juli's thoughts raced. I cant do this.

She finally spoke up, pushing him off of her. "Wait, Bryce. I don't know if I can do this."

Bryce stared at Juli, stunned. "What?"

"I just don't think we should anymore, Bryce."

"Juli, what are you saying?" Bryce asked, confusion and hurt filling his eyes.

"It's just not right. I can't do it."

"Well, we love each other. Right? What could be wrong about that?"

Juli let this process. **Love**. It was a small word that meant so much. They were seventeen years old. Did they even know what love really was? How could she be fully certain love was what she felt? She looked at Bryce, now in a completely different light. She really didn't know exactly how she felt about him.

"Juli, you love me. Right?" Bryce seemed extremely hurt at this point.

She paused. "I don't know, Bryce. I don't know anymore."

Silence. Juli slipped her dress back on, now feeling extremely awkward without clothing. Bryce also dressed, the whole time an extreme pain and anger showing in his eyes.

"Bryce, please say something." Juli hated the silence.

He finally looked her, this time directly in the eye. "I think you should leave."

Never in the twelve years Juli had known Bryce had he said something so hurtful with such hatred infused in his voice.

"Bryce, can we talk about this?"

"I have nothing to say to you."

Juli tried once more. "Look, Bryce, I know you thought tonight would be different, but can we at least..."

"I SAID,** LEAVE**!" Bryce yelled angrily.

Juli would not stick around to be treated that way. "I'll show myself out. Thanks for the lovely dinner," she said sarcastically slamming the door behind her.

She walked back to her home, looking back at the Loski house. She was pretty sure things were over between her and Bryce Loski, **forever**. Her heart felt extremely heavy as she walked inside her house. Holding her tears in until she made it to her bedroom, she managed to collapse onto her bed, letting every tear she had been holding pour out. She wasn't ready to be anyone's first. Bryce should have understood and been considerate. Instead, he was hurtful and demanded she leave his home. She wanted nothing to do with him. She deserved better. All Juli wanted was to get away, get a fresh start, a change of scenery. Crying herself to sleep that night, she wished for an escape.

**Bryce POV**

The sound of Juli slamming the door made him lose it. Between crying and feeling sick to his stomach, Bryce began grabbing objects around his house and throwing them with such an amount of force that encompassed how much pain he was in. He was making a mess, but literally didn't know how to handle what just happened. Everything had been so perfect. He had opened his heart to Juli, asking her to be his first. She seemed to want it just as much as he did. Understanding why she had suddenly flipped and changed her mind was beyond him. The breaking point was hearing Juli say she was unsure she loved him. Had all of these years been so meaningless to her? Bryce knew without a doubt in his mind that Juli would always be someone he would love. Her not reciprocating his feelings killed him. But there was no point in making up ideas in his head. Juli didn't love him. That was that.

_It's over._

The thought made Bryce extremely sad. Maybe if he wouldn't have acted the way he did towards Juli in the past, things would be different now. Maybe they would be closer, maybe Juli would love him. He would never know. It didn't matter. There was nothing to do. He had to accept it and move on. Getting Juli Baker out of his heart would be extremely difficult for Bryce, but he was determined to do it.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks to those who reviewed my last chapter! Finally a new update. I am thinking of writing a new fanfic about Juli and Bryce after they have graduated from university [kind of like a sequel to this]. I had a lot of ideas for it the other day... what do you think? I will only write it if you promise to read it :P.**


	13. Goodbye, Love

**Bryce POV**

This was it. Graduation Day. The end of school, tests, boring teachers, naps during first period, and best of all, no more Juli Baker. Juli Baker: his first love, the girl who ripped and shredded his heart to tiny pieces. He couldn't wait to be done with school. Bryce was recruited by a local university as the new incoming freshman to replace the star quarterback. He would be at practice a lot this summer and figured this would be a good way to avoid Juli. They hadn't spoken in weeks. And now they were graduating. Bryce could possibly never lay eyes on Juli Baker again. Why would he care about that though? He would not miss seeing her beautiful smile or hearing the sound of her laughter as he passed through the school hallways.

"I can't wait for tonight baby," Sherry whispered into Bryce's ear.

They were together again. It made sense. They made sense. Sherry would never reject him the way Juli did.

"Yeah. Yeah, it'll be great," he said half heartedly.

Sherry had promised Bryce that tonight was the night. They would both lose their virginity. Bryce was tired of waiting on "the one".

_Just look at my parents and tell me "the one" exists. _

He sighed. That was just some bullshit fairytale that Chet made up. It didn't exist. He had Sherry and she would do. It didn't matter now.

Sitting on the football field with the rest of his classmates, Bryce awaited anxiously for his name to be announced on the loud speaker. Juli's name was called and Bryce watched her receive her diploma from Principal Moore. A fragment of him could not help feeling a hint of joy for her. After all, they had been neighbors practically all of their lives. It was only a natural reaction, right? As she walked back to her seat, her eyes found his. His heart ached. It was breaking all over again. He couldn't stand looking into her beautiful eyes. Sherry squeezed his arm, as if to draw his attention to her. Bryce forced a smile and tried to clear his mind of Juli. But something made him want to keep looking back at her. He couldn't help himself. She looked beautiful as always.

"What is so interesting that you have to keep looking behind us, Bryce?" Sherry asked with obvious annoyance in her voice.

"Nothing. It's nothing babe." Bryce forced himself to stop looking. He had to get used to the fact that he wouldn't be seeing much of Juli Baker anymore, perhaps ever again.

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><p><strong>Juli POV<strong>

Graduation day. All these years of perfect attendance and schoolwork led up to this day, this moment. It was a bit surreal to think everything was finally coming to an end. Juli could not be more grateful for this. She was ready for it to be over. It would be the end of Bryce Loski torturing her night and day by filling her thoughts, her dreams, and her heart.

The past few weeks had been unbearable. Bryce would not even look at Juli as she passed through the school hallways, let alone speak to her. _I haven't even spoken to him since that night. The night we almost…_

Juli couldn't even let herself think about what had happened. She tried to fight the urge to let tears flow from her eyes.

Dana pulled her attention. "Can you believe it? This is it!" she grinned as all of the students sat down, waiting to hear their name called and to receive their diplomas.

Juli managed to muster a smile for her best friend. Dana had always been so sweet and loyal. Juli would miss her.

As Principal Moore began to call names out in alphabetical order, Juli knew this would be a slow and painful process. Suddenly she heard her name being called out over the loud speaker. "Juli Baker".

Juli's heart raced a little as she walked to receive her diploma. As Principal Moore handed her the diploma and shook her hand, a slight smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. She was a high school graduate. Juli walked back to her seat, but her focus was immediately drawn to one person. There they were… those dazzling eyes. She could pick them out any time and any place, even in a sea of people. It was Bryce Loski. _Her _Bryce: the boy across the street who always had an undeniable amount of power over her, probably much more than he should. They locked eyes. This would probably be the last time they would see each other. Juli felt her heart sting. Taking a deep breath, she rejoined Dana.

"You know he keeps looking back at you every chance he gets right?" Dana nudged Juli to look in his direction.

"Dana! No," Juli said sternly. "It's over, ok? Just let it be. Please."

She couldn't help silently wondering why he would even be looking at her. But it didn't matter anymore. Tomorrow everything would change. Bryce would no longer be a part of Juli's life…

"Bryce Loski," Principal Moore called out over the loud speaker. It was Bryce's turn now. Juli watched him receive his diploma, a twinge of sadness striking her. They both did it. They were high school graduates. This would mark a new chapter in their lives and things would never be the same.

After quite a few more names and students, the ceremony finally came to an end. It was all over now. The football field filled with people, and Juli wondered where in the crowd her parents and brothers were. Her eyes searched and spotted Mrs. Loski walking towards her.

"Congratulations, dear," Bryce's mom said while hugging her.

"Thank you," Juli smiled.

"And you, baby I am so proud!" Mrs. Loski broke the hug and ran to hug her son.

"Thanks, mom." Bryce hugged his mom back.

"You two must be so proud of each other! You started off as cute little kids and look at you now. You've blossomed and matured into wonderful young adults," Mrs. Loski said warmly, oblivious to the situation.

Juli and Bryce exchanged looks, speechless.

"Well, I'll leave you two to your graduation festivities! I'll see you at home honey." With a quick kiss on the cheek, she was gone leaving Bryce and Juli locked in each other's eyes, still neither saying a word.

Bryce finally broke the silence. "Congratulations, Juli."

"You too, Bryce."

Again, they simply stared at each other.

Bryce took a deep sigh. "I…" he hesitated.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's dumb. Just… nothing," he answered with frustration.

Juli looked at him expectantly, waiting for an honest answer.

"It's just that, I guess… I am going to miss you," he blurted with difficulty.

Juli let this register. "Oh."

She couldn't answer anything else. The inside of her was screaming, telling her to admit she would miss him too. But she was too proud to do that.

"I'm going to a local university. I'll be playing football and have an athletic scholarship."

"That's great," she said sincerely. She was really proud of him.

"Will you be staying around here too?" He almost sounded hopeful asking this.

Juli couldn't answer because Sherry managed to push her way into the conversation.

"We're actually going to the same university, Juli. Did you tell her that baby?"

Sighing, Bryce shook his head.

"Oh. That's great," Juli answered, this time lacking sincerity.

"I know! And you know what's even more great is that Bryce and I are together again. Don't worry, Juli. You couldn't make him happy, but I will." Sherry smirked.

"Sherry, stop." Bryce gave her a pleading look.

"_You_ don't need to worry, Sherry," Juli snapped. "No need to feel threatened because as of tomorrow I'll be on a plane to England. And I don't plan on coming back."

"England? Juli, you can't be serious." Bryce searched her eyes for an answer.

"I am. I'm going to school there and I don't plan on coming back," she answered coldly.

"What? Surely you plan on coming home to visit. You can't just leave everything behind like that." He seemed deeply hurt by the idea of this.

Juli took a deep sigh. "Yes, I can. And I will."

"Well, that's that then. We should get going Bryce. Better let Juli pack."

"Sherry, that's ENOUGH." Bryce seemed to be fed up. "Go to the car and I will meet you in a little bit."

"Ok. I'll do it for you baby. But I'm only doing it because I can't wait to get out of here and do what we promised so I can be all your's."Sherry directed this right to Juli and with that took off.

Bryce looked at Juli apologetically, as a single tear was streaming down her cheek. He moved his hand to wipe the tear but Juli backed away.

"No, Bryce." She was clearly upset by what Sherry had said.

Bryce fumbled for words, trying to explain. "Juli, wait! What she said, that wasn't true. It wasn't true at all. I thought I was going to or that I wanted to. But now that I'm here with you, I know I don't want it. You're all I'll ever want because I love you and always will…"

"I don't need to hear any explanations, Bryce. I'm leaving and you're staying here with her. It's simple."

"Did you hear what I said?"

Juli looked at Bryce, his eyes beginning to water. "You'll do great with football. I know you'll do great." Juli tried to avoid the question.

"Damnit, Juli. I love you."

This would be one of the hardest things she would do in her life. On the inside, she felt like she was dying. "Look, it's a day to celebrate. We graduated and it's a new chapter in our lives, a fresh start. I just, I hope you'll be happy, Bryce. I want you to be happy,"

She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek as tears formed in her eyes. Waving goodbye she began walking away from him. This was it. She would never see him again.

Bryce watched her go, the idea of losing her forever tearing his heart to pieces. _One last time._ He ran to catch her hand, hoping for one final glance. They locked eyes again. Squeezing her hand gently, he placed a single kiss on her hand. "I hope you are too, Juli."

"Thank you." Juli squeezed his hand back and with that disappeared into the crowd of people till she was nowhere in sight. And with that, she vanished. She was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that's it! THE END. I didn't mean to leave you hanging but life got incredibly busy so that is why it took a while to update. Better late than never! I am still considering writing about what life would be like after university for Juli and Bryce. It could be a interesting fanfic ;]. Hope you enjoyed the story. Thank you so much for readingfavoriting (not a word, I know)/following/reviewing! Y'all are awesome!**


	14. Update!

**A/N: Just wanted to let you all know, you've inspired me to write the sequel. YAY! It's entitled "Let it Be Me". Please read/review ... all of that lovely stuff. Thanks for following this story and hope you follow the sequel, because who doesn't want to know what happens to this super cute couple next? :b**


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